A HAMPSHIRE zoo has announced the death of their elderly female snow leopard, Irina, after a decline in her health due to age related symptoms.

Irina arrived at Marwell Zoo on January 18 2010 at two years old and turned 16 on May 23 this year. 

She had been on a geriatric care plan for some time but her symptoms worsened and the zoo's animal and veterinary teams had to make the difficult decision to euthanase her.

Having spent most of her life alongside former mate Indeever, Irina raised four healthy cubs - Kamala and Kadhir in 2011 and Animesh and Ajendra in 2013.

Laura Read, chief executive of Marwell Wildlife, said: “We do have, within a large variety of species, some aged animals at Marwell and our teams work really hard to make sure they have the best care into their senior years and beyond.

Marwell Zoo snow leopard Irina (Image: Jason Brown)

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“Unfortunately, as a result, we’ve lost some notable and well-loved animals recently. I’m sure people will appreciate, this is a difficult time for everyone at the zoo, especially our animal and veterinary teams who work tirelessly to ensure our animals have the very best welfare possible.”

Irina played an important role in the conservation of snow leopards, which are listed as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation’s (IUCN) red list.

As well as raising cubs of her own, Irina was a grandmother 15 times over and a great grandmother twice so her legacy will live on through the contribution she has made to the survival of her species.

Carrie Arnold, carnivores team leader, said: “Irina was a very playful snow leopard, always stalking her keepers and playing 'hide and seek' with us.

“She was incredibly strong willed and knew exactly what she wanted. She was very affectionate and loved sitting up high watching the world go by. 

“She will be sorely missed by her whole team.”

Following Irina’s death Warjun, the young male who arrived at the zoo last year, will have access to the whole snow leopard habitat including the newly opened extension.

Marwell has been putting plans in place, along with the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), to bring a young female to the zoo in due course as a companion for Warjun and with a view to continuing their long history working with the breeding programme for this important species.