Tribute to 'playful' snow leopard put down at zoo

Irina arrived at Marwell Wildlife when she was two years old

A zoo has paid tribute to a "strong-willed" and "playful" snow leopard that had to be put down.

Irina arrived at Marwell Wildlife near Winchester in 2010 when she was two years old but - aged 16 - was suffering with failing health.

She is the third long-serving resident to die at the zoo since June after the deaths of Bagai the amur tiger and Makeda the giraffe.

Laura Read, chief executive of Marwell Wildlife, said Irina's death had been "a difficult time for everyone at the zoo".

The team at Marwell said she enjoyed "stalking her keepers and playing hide and seek"

“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," she said.

“Unfortunately, as a result, we’ve lost some notable and well-loved animals recently."

Irina spent most of her life alongside former mate Indeever and played an important role in the conservation of snow leopards, which are listed as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation’s red list.

She raised four healthy cubs, with Kamala and Kadhir born in 2011 and Animesh and Ajendra arriving in 2013.

Irina was a grandmother 15 times over and a great grandmother twice

She was also a grandmother 15 times over and a great grandmother twice.

Carrie Arnold, carnivores team leader at the zoo, 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 a 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, a young male who arrived at the zoo last year, will have access to the whole snow leopard habitat.

Marwell plans to bring a young female to the zoo in the future as a companion for Warjun.