Staff at the Cherry Brook Zoo are mourning the death of a beloved llama.
Cuzco the llama had to be put down earlier this month due to his old age.
It was a hard decision to make, according to executive director Martha McDevitt, who said he was showing signs of arthritis.
“At the end, they tell you it’s time, for the most part,” McDevitt told our newsroom, “so we had to make that call.”
“It’s sort of this rollercoaster of emotion where you’re remembering funny stories … and then the next minute you’re grieving and sad.”
Cuzco had been a fixture at the Saint John zoo since he was born there in 2000.
McDevitt said a lot of people would have seen him going for walks around the zoo with his sister, Penny.
“He was just a big goofball,” she said. “He was really kind, really good with the public, with children, with staff. He just was one of our staple animals.”
McDevitt said it is hard not to get attached to the animals, especially when you are working with them on a daily basis.
(Photos: Cherry Brook Zoo/Facebook)
