Zoo mourns over loss of beloved female pudu

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communication

Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Pudu Maggie with the fawn she had in 2022

Woodland Park Zoo takes care of the loss of her female pudu, Maggie. The 7-year-old animal died while recovering from anesthesia after a routine tooth extraction at the Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital.

Pudu is the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America. The small deer stands only 14 to 18 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs between 14 and 30 pounds. The average life expectancy of puduses in zoos is 8 years old; Pudus can live 8 to 10 years in nature.

Maggie was hardly bigger than a pumpkin. Adult Pudu is only 12 ” – 18″ high at the shoulder and weighs between 14 – 30 kg.

“The tooth was extracted without complications, and Maggie did well under anesthesia. She was closely monitored when she began to recover,” Dr. Yousuf Jafarey, an associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo. “As her improvement progressed, we noticed abnormalities and cardiac arrest happened. Unfortunately, despite recovery efforts, died Maggie. As is the case for humans, anesthesia has inherent risks to our animals. These deaths are unexpected and we are all incredibly saddened by the transition to Maggie.”

Maggie arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 to be paired with male Ted under the Pudu-Art Survival Plan, a collaborative program across accredited zoos to ensure a healthy, self-supporting population of the species. Maggie and Ted have had five offspring together.

Maggie was an experienced and attentive mother who gave birth to a fawn every spring since 2020. Photo: Megan Blandford/Woodland Park Zoo

“Maggie and her partner, Ted, have been quite a productive couple. For five years in a row since 2020, Maggie has given birth to a fawn every spring. Because they are the smallest deer species, the small size and the total sweetness of the babies triggered so many OOHS and AAHs from our guests and fans,” said Shawn Pedersen, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “This is a sad loss for us and our zoological family and pudu fans will miss our sweet Maggie.” Ted and this year’s fawn remain in the zoo and live in the temperate forest habitat.

As a standard procedure, the Zoo’s Animal Health Team performs a postmortem exam to further diagnose factors that may have contributed to Maggie’s death.

We will miss you Mama Maggie.

The puddle is listed as closely threatened due to hunting and a rapidly growing human population in the region leading to loss of natural habitats due to clearing land for residential and commercial development, agriculture, logging and other human activities.