Naples Zoo says 18-year-old Katrina the zebra died suddenly after medical procedure

J. Kyle Foster, Naples Daily News
·2 min read
Katrina, a Grant zebra at the Naples Zoo, died Wednesday unexpectedly. She was 18 and had lived in Naples since 2006 after being moved from Louisiana. She was named after the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, the year she was born.
Katrina, a Grant zebra at the Naples Zoo, died Wednesday unexpectedly. She was 18 and had lived in Naples since 2006 after being moved from Louisiana. She was named after the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, the year she was born.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Katrina the zebra has died.

The 18-year-old Grant Zebra died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday at the Naples Zoo during a "routine medical procedure."

The Zoo announced the death on social media.

“Katrina was very expressive. Her body language was very obvious when she had something to say,” Animal Operation Manager Cindy Hall said in the posts. "She will be deeply missed by the animal care team."

Katrina moved to Naples from Louisiana in 2006 when she was a year old. She was named after the hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.

"Katrina was very aware of anything new in her environment and was most often the zebra that would interact with the enrichment provided by the animal care staff," Naples Zoo wrote on its Instagram page.

The zebra was having an annual exam, similar to a human physical, when she died, said Courtney Jolly, director of marketing and public relations, in a phone interview.

Katrina, a Grant zebra at the Naples Zoo, died Wednesday unexpectedly. She was 18 and had lived in Naples since 2006 after being moved from Louisiana. She was named after the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, the year she was born.
Katrina, a Grant zebra at the Naples Zoo, died Wednesday unexpectedly. She was 18 and had lived in Naples since 2006 after being moved from Louisiana. She was named after the hurricane that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, the year she was born.

"I "don't have all the information. The procedure itself, she had complications from what was done," Jolly said. Zoo officials will conduct a necropsy on Katrina to try to determine the root cause of her death.

Naples Zoo has three other zebras, including Eva who also is a Grant. It has two Damara zebra as well, a male and a female, Jolly said.

There are 3 species of zebra, plains, mountain and Grevy’s. Grants and Damara zebra are in a group referred to as plains zebra which inhabit the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. The conservation status of the plain’s zebra is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as near threatened as their wild populations are decreasing due to habitat loss from human development and farming. They are also vulnerable to hunting.

More: Giraffe dies at Naples Zoo with no known cause of death

Losing Katrina is difficult for the keepers, Jolly said.

"It's a hard one," she said. "When you don't see it coming. It's difficult."

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples Zoo zebra dies suddenly after medical procedure