One of the Denver Zoo’s “critically endangered” camels died last week after an ulcer ate through his stomach, zoo officials announced Friday.
The Denver Zoo’s animal care and veterinary medicine teams noticed Hagrid, a 6-year-old Bactrian camel, was showing signs of “gastrointestinal discomfort” early last week and began monitoring him, .
“He received a physical examination, and teams provided supportive care and pain medications while working to determine the cause of his discomfort,” . “Despite their best efforts, Hagrid passed away in his habitat on Tuesday evening.”
A necropsy revealed that the camel had an ulcer that ate through his stomach wall, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. His third stomach chamber may have also been displaced, which would have prevented food from moving through his digestive system normally, zoo officials said.
Bactrian camels are critically endangered in the wild, according to the . They live in the Gobi and Gashun Gobi deserts of northwest China and Mongolia and are one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, according to the organization.
Hagrid arrived at the Denver Zoo in July 2020 alongside his habitat mate, Sprout, when he was just three months old, Denver Zoo officials said. He was born on April 17, 2020, at Hemker Park Zoo in Minnesota.
“I’ll never forget the day they arrived,” . “Hagrid then spent the next couple days announcing to the zoo that he was here by ‘screaming’ any time we were around. He also did it when we were on our way to bottle feed him. He was such a sweet boy and will be sorely missed.”
Denver Zoo officials described Hagrid’s death as “heartbreaking.”
He “quickly became a favorite among staff, volunteers and guests” in Denver, zoo officials said. One of the zoo’s animal care specialists wrote that she could “never deny that face all the treats.”
“His playful personality and goofy spirit brought comfort, connection and joy to so many people,” zoo officials said in the announcement. “He also served as an ambassador for his species and helped inspire our community to learn more about the importance of protecting wildlife.”
Sprout, Hagrid’s fellow camel, is being closely monitored and supported by zoo staff, according to the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Losing a companion can be a big change for an animal, but there are no physical or mental health concerns for Sprout at this time, officials said.
