JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A week after welcoming a newborn zebra, zookeepers are mourning the death of aging zebra that had been a fixture of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for nearly a decade.
Eclipse, the zoo’s 25-year-old zebra, had been under close supervision as her health deteriorated in recent days. With her condition getting worse, she underwent a "risky procedure" over the weekend.
"Sadly, Eclipse did not make it through the procedure," the zoo wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
The zebra is credited with raising awareness among the community over the years for its species, the Grevy’s zebra, which the zoo described as "one of Africa’s most endangered large mammals."
"Our thoughts are with her dedicated keepers who will miss her dearly," the post said.
The death of Eclipse comes a short while after the zoo celebrated the arrival of a newborn Grevy’s zebra, the fourth of its kind to be born at the zoo.