Striped Hyena at Utica Zoo Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

Our friends at the Utica Zoo are facing a tough situation with one of their beloved animals.

The Utica Zoo is home to over 200 animals, representing roughly 100 species. Some of their residents are considered endangered or critically endangered.

Those animals, like the white-handed gibbons or the Mexican Gray Wolf, are considered to be at high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Utica Zoo is part of what's called the Species Survival Plan, or SSP, a collection of accredited zoos whose goal is to increase the populations of hyper-vulnerable species and eventually restore their numbers in the wild.

This plan works almost like a dating service for that select group of endangered animals living in zoos.

Utica Zoo and other institutions of the SSP will carefully select a mate for these animals based on genetic diversity and health in hopes they reproduce.

A great example of this is the story of Reka and Zeya, Amur tiger twins who were born in 2017 at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut, after their mother, Changbai, was presented a suitable mate through the SSP.

There's an estimated 400 Amur tigers - otherwise known as Siberian tigers - left in the wild.

To keep increasing their numbers, Zeya was sent to Rosamond Gifford Zoo in 2020 as a potential match for their male Amur tiger, and the two successfully produced a litter.

This program is critical in preventing certain species from going extinct and zoos that are part of the program must provide the highest standards of care and treatment for their animals.

This brings us to a very sad update involving a beloved resident of Utica Zoo.

Imara, a spunky striped hyena, is now in palliative care after staff discovered a potential sign of cancer during a routine examination.

The zoo explained one of Imara's mammary glands was enlarged, signaling that she was developing a serious form of breast cancer. The zoo said they highly suspected the illness due to her age and breed.

It is documented that mammary cancer in hyenas is often malignant and aggressive.

As much as the staff may have wanted to rush Imara into cancer treatment, the zoo says its hands were tied.  "Sadly, treatment options for Imara would be detrimental to her welfare and would not provide meaningful benefits," the zoo said in a press release.

At this time, Imara is recieving palliative care to keep her comfortable as she embarks on her sunset years.

This comes at a devastating time for staff, who are still reeling from the loss of 2 other beloved resident animals, who passed from old age.

Read More: Utica Zoo Announces Passing of Zebu and Bactrian Camel

While the zoo focuses on Imara, they are using this as an opportunity to save lives by raising breast cancer awareness.

On Wednesday, October 2, the zoo invited Upstate University's Mammography Van to conduct screenings for uninsured or underinsured visitors.

The zoo also hopes Imara's story will forge stronger connections with zoo visitors and encourage people to attend regular cancer screenings.

All of us at Townsquare Media are sad to hear about Imara's diagnosis, but are comforted to know she is in the best hands for her end of life journey.

Those wishing to help animals like Imara are invited to make a donation to Utica Zoo.

Utica Zoo is open 7 days a week, except Thanksgiving and Christmas, between 10:00 in the morning and 4:30 at night.

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