Mourning for snow leopard Askin

Animal news | 7 March 2025

On 28 February 2025, our male snow leopard Askin was put to sleep at the venerable age of almost 18. He had been showing several signs of ageing for some time: the lenses of his eyes had become cloudy and he was less active. However, he still had a healthy appetite and his mobility was relatively good. In recent months, though, his condition deteriorated considerably: he stopped eating properly and was more reluctant to exercise. Towards the end of last year, he also developed a serious and long-lasting skin disease, which took the vets and keepers some effort to get under control. In his final few weeks, he sadly lost interest in food, his hind legs grew weak, and he was visibly in pain when moving around. So we took a collective decision to spare Askin any further suffering.

Askin came to Dresden from Krefeld Zoo in 2008 and lived in an enclosure with female Istari. Between them, the pair reared three healthy kittens. We are currently looking for a new male companion for Istari.