Hamilton Zoo’s African wild dog Romeo put down due to spinal disease

Hamilton Zoo's African wild dog Romeo was known as high spirited. Photo / Hamilton Zoo

Hamilton Zoo farewelled its only African wild dog, Romeo, on Thursday.

The team put him down after noticing a gradual loss of mobility because of spinal disease.

“Given Romeo’s age – almost 12 – and health condition, we have been diligently assessing his quality of life twice a week to ensure his wellbeing despite his spinal arthritis,” the zoo said on social media.

“Pain medications were helpful for quite some time, but with his frequent checks, we noticed that his pain medication was having diminishing effects.

“After careful consideration ... we made the compassionate decision to let Romeo pass peacefully.”

Romeo was born at Port Lympne Safari Park in the United Kingdom in 2012 and transferred to Hamilton Zoo with his brother Kudu in 2018.

Hamilton Zoo said Romeo was known by his keepers to be very high-spirited, getting excited when they set up enrichment.

“[He] brought joy and fascination to countless visitors, showcasing the incredible traits and behaviours of his species.

“His playful spirit and unique personality will be greatly missed by our staff and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Kudu died last year.

“Over the past week, we have observed a gradual change in [Romeo’s] behaviour. Today he indicated that he was ready to say goodbye.

“Here at Hamilton Zoo, we are privileged to be kaitiaki [guardians] for the precious animals in our care. Ensuring their happiness, health, and safety is always our main priority when making these hard decisions.”

African wild dogs have been classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List since 1990, with fewer than 7000 remaining in the wild because of habitat loss and poaching.

In the wild, they have a life expectancy of up to 11 years.

Hamilton Zoo used to have five African wild dogs: Zumo, Romeo, Kudu, Msaka and Itanya.

Zumo died at the grand age of 12 in 2019. Msaka, who has been with the zoo since 2015, died in 2022, at the age of 11, the same year as Itanya.

Itanya and Romeo were expecting pups in 2022, however, tragically, they were stillborn. Itanya died unexpectedly at the age of 6, shortly after delivering the pups.