Santa Barbara Zoo Says Goodbye to Anara the Giant Anteater
Zoo’s Giant Anteater Euthanized on January 31 Due to Elusive Medical Problem
Anara the giant anteater, a human-loving crowd favorite at the Santa Barbara Zoo, had to be euthanized on January 31 after battling an elusive medical problem for several weeks. Anara has lived among the capybaras at the zoo for more than 13 years and is survived by four pups, four grandpups, and two great-grandpups housed at zoos across the nation.
Zookeepers noticed Anara was “regurgitating, lethargic, and less interested in her food” a few days before Christmas, said the zoo’s Vice President of Animal Care and Health, Julie Barnes. “She just didn’t seem quite herself.”
Between blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, and CT scans over several weeks, Anara’s care team “couldn’t find a specific diagnosis.” Anteaters are very cryptic animals due to their unique anatomy and physiology, Barnes explained, making it difficult to home in on the specific cause of Anara’s ailments.
Barnes and the rest of Anara’s care team tried giving her different medications throughout January, some yielding positive results. However, Anara always fell back into her sickly state, eventually becoming “unsteady on her legs when she was up and moving around.”
On January 30, Anara underwent a comprehensive examination under anesthesia as a last-ditch effort to get to the root of the problem — but to no avail. The next morning, she was unable to get up and was humanely euthanized that day.
“She was just so fun,” Barnes reminisced. “Everyone instantly fell in love with her.” Anara came to the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2011 from Fresno, where she was born a twin. Anteaters are unable to raise twins by themselves, so Anara was human-raised from the get-go. As a result, she “had a very gentle personality and really liked people.”
Giant anteaters are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN), and Anara had a “significant impact” on her species’ population in North America, Barnes stated.
“She was a definite favorite, and everyone loved her,” Barnes said. “She will really be missed.”
The Santa Barbara Zoo is hoping to receive another anteater in the coming months.
