Catty Shack Ranch is mourning the loss of its longtime matriarch, Nyra, who passed away at the sanctuary Thursday night at the age of 21.
“All of our rescued animals receive the finest medical treatment, but one thing we can’t cure is old age,” Catty Shack’s Executive Director Curt LoGiudice said in an email to WJCT News. “She had a good, long quality life, and that’s all any of us can pray for.”
The wildlife sanctuary on the city’s Northside said Nyra was 3-years-old when she and about a half-dozen other exotic animals were confiscated by the USDA from a private zoo in 2002. Nyra outlived all of them, including her two mates.
Nyra was the mother of Freddy. Visitors and nearby neighbors regularly heard them roaring back and forth to one another.
More information about Nyra is available on Catty Shack’s website. The ranch is dedicating this weekend’s proceeds from visitor tours and night feedings to Nyra’s memory.