Yerevan Zoo staff has announced that the 28 year old hippopotamus Manuk will be put down soon.
Though hippos’ life spin is estimated about 50 years, it is also known these animals cannot live long after their jaw-teeth are worn away.
“Manuk has been under medical treatment for the last years: the care and consistency of the vets prolonged his life for a few more years. However, the hippo is very weak these days and refuses to eat,” teh Yerevan Zoo said in a statement.
Manuk is one of the oldest inhabitants of Yerevan Zoo. He was brought to Yerevan in 1989 from Nikolayev Zoo at the age of 2.
There are two species of hippopotamus – the Common Hippopotamus (also called a River Hippo) (hippopotamus amphibius) and the Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). Yerevan Zoo hippos belong to the first species which is listed in the IUCN Red List as “Vulnerable.”
