PEORIA, Ill. (AP)–A sea lion who lived at the Peoria Zoo for more than 30 years has died.
The (Peoria) Journal Star reports (http://bit.ly/1KfGNhQ ) that Rosa the sea lion died Aug. 9 at age 31 and her death was preceded by symptoms of declining health. The median life expectancy for captive sea lions is 22.3 years for females.
Zoo director Yvonne Strode says a necropsy, or animal autopsy, was performed and test results are pending.
Rosa was born at the St. Louis Zoo in 1984 and was one of the first occupants of the Peoria Zoo’s sea lion exhibit when she arrived in 1985. Strode remembered Rose as “incredibly intelligent” and said she “learned very quickly what you wanted her to do.”
