Environment
Bye Bye Benny
The park said he was a favourite with staff and visitors alike.
Pic: Curraghs Wildlife Park
Curraghs Wildlife Park has said farewell to Benny the fishing cat who has died at the age of 12.
The park said he was a favourite with staff and visitors alike.
Benny was diagnosed with osteoarthritis last year, which he received pain relief for, but suddenly went off his food and died before an investigative anaesthetic could be carried out.
The park said: ‘A full post mortem will done as with all our animals, however he was 12 and half years old. The average life span is 10 -12 years for fishing cats.
‘We still have Diane our female Fishing cat, although she will be turning 12 this year so she is now also a good age. We hope the studbook (EEP) for this species will identify some younger cats ready to leave their parents and come here, as we would really like to continue with this endangered species at the Park.’
In 2021 the Park’s Conservation fund contributed over £3,500 to the Urban Fishing Cat Project – monitoring and protecting the species in Sri Lanka.
