Animal Obituaries [June 2010]

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2010:

Arrell, 24, a black-maned African lion (above), was
euthanized due to incurable painful conditions of age on May 21,
2010 at the Primarily Primates sanctuary near San Antonio, Texas.
Like many black-maned lions in the U.S., who may be descended from
Barbary lions imported from Egypt and Ethiopia in the early 20th
century, Arrell originally belonged to a circus. The circus left
him with a veterinarian to be declawed and have a canine tooth
removed, but never reclaimed him. Arrell and a Siberian tiger were
sold to an exotic pet keeper, who in 1993 retired both cats to the
Buffalo Roam Wildlife Sanctuary, operated by Judy Savage near
Seguin, Texas. Arrell was transferred to Primarily Primates in
2003. Savage closed Buffalo Roam in March 2005, after a two-year
effort to find new homes for the animals.

Nuka, 21, one of the last three Alaska sea otters who
survived oiling by the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound in
1989, was euthanized due to incurable painful conditions of age at
the Seattle Aquarium on May 26, 2010. “For years, Nuka struggled
with immune-system problems, poor skin and fur, and seemed unable
to groom herself properly, which meant she ate more than normal to
avoid hypothermia. While no one could say what caused her problems,
they were consistent with early exposure to petroleum,” wrote
Seattle Times environment reporter Craig Welch.
Fur Elise, 20, a white cat adopted by Phyllis Clifton in
early 1990 from the Berkeley Humane Society in Berkeley, California,
was euthanized in Freeland, Washington due to acute kidney failure
on May 20, 2010. Phyllis Clifton, mother of ANIMAL PEOPLE editor
Merritt Clifton, died in December 2008. Fur Elise came to live with
Merritt Clifton when his father Jack Clifton was briefly hospitalized
in March 2010. By quirk of fate, a fire that broke out at about the
time of Fur Elise’s death razed much of the Berkeley Humane Society
shelter, killing 15 cats. All of the dogs in the shelter were
rescued.