The Dallas Zoo announced the loss of its resident capybara, “Fred,” who was put to sleep on February 26.
Per an Instagram post shared on February 28, Fred was brought to the Dallas Zoo in 2013.
He was one of the stars of the zoo’s Wonders of the Wild show before he retired from on-stage life in 2021 to live in ZooNorth with Tullah, the giant anteater.
Fred, who was 9 years old, had lived beyond the 7-year median life expectancy for male capybaras. The zoo stated that his old age had caused issues with his health, which continued to decline despite attempts to provide the best care for him. Hence, he was humanely euthanized.
According to the zoo, the capybara “was an incredible ambassador for wildlife,” who participated in over 1,700 programs aimed at inspiring people to save animals from extinction, in which he “highlighted the natural swimming abilities and sheer size of the world’s largest rodent for hundreds of thousands of Zoo guests.”
The post noted Fred was adored by staff and volunteers for his “charming loveable (sic) personality,” and said he would be dearly missed.