Farewell to ‘Ginny’

Red Tegu ‘Ginny’ was a long-time zoo family member with a largely unknown history. Before she came to reside with us, Ginny was someone’s exotic pet. Malnourished and in dire need of medical care, she joined the zoo family in 2014. Since then, she received exceptional care from the Animal Care, Health & Welfare (ACHW) team for gastrointestinal and reproductive medical issues over the years. Under the caring and watchful eye of her dedicated team, Ginny’s quality of life improved. In fact, Ginny had her own special daily routine which included a warm bath, a walk to stretch her limbs and an afternoon siesta under the warmth of a heat lamp.

Recently, her health was rapidly declining and an ultrasound and CT scan revealed a large ovarian mass. During surgery it was determined that the mass was inoperable. Coupled with her other chronic gastrointestinal and reproductive issues, the ACHW team made the difficult but compassionate decision that euthanasia was in her best interest.

Though we don’t know Ginny’s exact age, she was a mature female when she came to the zoo, and she spent nearly a decade with us as one of the zoo’s Program Animals. As an ambassador for her species, Ginny made an impact on wildlife education as her story reached thousands of students and campers every year educating them about the responsibilities of exotic pet ownership. Ginny was truly one of a kind and will be dearly missed. Please keep her caregivers in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Red tegu ‘Ginny’