Rilu, the famous snow leopard whose images appeared in books and on the renowned Empire State Building in New York, has died after contracting the novel coronavirus. Before his death, images of Rilu circulated worldwide like a movie star, as he was part of a photographic collection in the book "The Photo Ark," taken by National Geographic collaborator Joel Sartore. The snow leopard lived in the Oklahoma City Zoo until 2011 when he moved to the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Indiana, where he fathered 7 cubs, bringing widespread acclaim to the zoo after it became "one of the world's leading institutions in breeding snow leopard cubs."
City officials announced on Thursday that Rilu passed away after a weeks-long battle with pneumonia caused by COVID-19, at the age of 11. Zoo director Jay Tetzloff stated in a press release, "I love that Rilu's legacy will continue through the book (The Photo Ark). Rilu will amaze the world for many years to come." This announcement came a day after the Catthroper building at the zoo was closed to the public again, as the "big cats" exhibited signs of the virus. The building had previously been closed after symptoms of COVID-19 appeared in big cats in late November; it reopened to the public on December 22 before being closed "indefinitely" on Wednesday.
Tetzloff explained that the closure was a "short-term precautionary measure," adding that staff "hope eventually to vaccinate carnivores and primates at the zoo." However, he also noted that "logistical challenges have made that difficult," clarifying that staff are monitoring the results of vaccinations in other zoos, which he stated have been "generally positive."
