ST. LOUIS — The Saint Louis Zoo announced Tuesday one of its jaguars had died.
"The Zoo is saddened to share the passing of the beautiful female jaguar, Ceiba," Saint Louis Zoo said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning.
Ceiba was suffering advanced-stage renal failure and was humanely euthanized. Renal failure is common in aged cats, according to the post.
Ceiba was 20 years old and had been at the Saint Louis Zoo since 2013.
According to the zoo, she was the oldest female jaguar in the Association for Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for jaguars in North American zoos.
Ceiba had one son, a 13-year-old jaguar named Jared. He "will carry on her legacy at the Zoo in Big Cat Country," the post said.
According to the Saint Louis Zoo, jaguars are the largest cats found in the Americas, and the species is declining due to loss of habitat and hunting of the jaguar for its coat.
Jaguars are native to Mexico, Central and South American tropical forests, swamps, grasslands and deserts, the post said.
The World Wildlife Foundation classifies the species as "near threatened."
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