PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The Living Desert announced the death of the zoo’s striped hyena Kipenzi, affectionately known as Kip by guests and those who cared for him.
Kip arrived at the Living Desert from the San Diego Zoo in 2014. He quickly became a staff and guest favorite.
Zoo officials said that last week, Kip exhibited some sudden difficulty in breathing and was immediately rushed to the Vet Hospital for testing. The team was unable to find an immediate underlying cause for his distress and despite numerous attempts at medical intervention to help him recover, Kip continued to decline.
“The sad decision was made to compassionately release him,” officials said.
Kip was 19 years old. The maximum life expectancy of a striped hyena in human care is 24 years old.
“Kip taught everyone who worked with him about perseverance and patience, it was his innate nature to be skeptical of anything new, and it was one of the many things his care team loved him for. He became a guest favorite for his majestic appearance and demeanor and to say he will be greatly missed by all who knew him would be an understatement,” Zoo officials wrote.