LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Officials with the Louisville Zoo is saying goodbye to their pygmy hippo, Hope.
They say Hope was euthanized four days before her 25th birthday after she was undergoing treatment for renal disease.
The Zoo said multiple exams revealed evidence of a polycystic kidney disease, they say is a genetic condition that affects one-third of pygmy hippos and is commonly found in females.
Hope failed to respond to therapies and zoo officials say her quality of life deteriorated and humane euthanasia was elected by zoo keepers and veterinarian staff.
Hope was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and arrived at the Louisville Zoo in 2011 from the Oklahoma City Zoo. She gave birth to a male pygmy hippo named Jahari in 2014. He is currently at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
A necropsy is expected to be performed.
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