A rare Poitou donkey that resided at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo has died.
The 15-year-old named Vollavon, who came to the zoo in 2016, had been under intensive care for multiple serious conditions including a severe gastric ulceration and laminitis, which is a painful inflammation of tissues in the hoof, staff said in a statement.
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Zoo staff says her health rapidly declined over the weekend and she was not responding well to treatments. Given the poor prognosis for her quality of life, it was ultimately decided to humanely euthanize her.
According to staff, Vollavon's death is even more painful because it comes just weeks after she gave birth to a foal on Aug. 8 -- the first successful birth of this rare heritage breed at Franklin Park Zoo.
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The young male foal arrived late with some help from the veterinary staff, who stepped into assist with a slowly progressing labor.
Staff says the woolly youngster continues to grow while his devoted animal care team provides around-the-clock feedings of milk and offering grain and hay.
Betty, a Morgan horse, is providing companionship to the foal in the stable and corral they share behind the scenes, staff said, adding that the foal's growth and development is being closely monitored.
“It is always heartbreaking to lose an animal that we care about deeply, but even more so to lose a member of a species, or in this case breed, that Zoo New England has been working diligently to conserve,” John Linehan, President and CEO of Zoo New England, said in a statement. “But even with the devastating loss of Vollavon, there is a glimmer of hope with the arrival of her young foal. We look forward to introducing him to guests at a later date. And in the meantime, visitors can continue to learn about and appreciate this unique heritage breed when they see his charismatic father, nearly 5-year-old Inspector Maigret, at our Children’s Zoo.”
According to the zoo's statement, heritage breeds, like the Poitou donkey, were once common on farms 100 years ago. But now many of these farm animals are in danger of extinction. Poitou donkeys, a breed developed in the Poitou region of France, are notable for their large size, large ears and shaggy coats.
The breed nearly went extinct after World War II when motorized vehicles began to take over and the mule demand collapsed, the zoo said. There are only around 2,500 purebred Poitou donkeys in the world, and Franklin Park Zoo is part of a global effort to preserve the breed.
