It's with great sadness that The Utica Zoo announces the passing of Sherlock the Red Fox.

According to a post on the Utica Zoo's Facebook page, The Utica Zoo animal care and vet staff made the compassionate decision to humanely euthanize the 14-year-old male red fox in late November due to late-stage renal disease.

“We will deeply miss him,” Zookeeper Jessica Lindsay shared. “We’ll remember him snuggled up in his bed and visible in front of his habitat, always ready to welcome friends to the Zoo.”

Sherlock came to live at the Utica Zoo as a two-month old kit. He was a rehabilitation animal deemed non-releasable in the wild. He was a visitor favorite. Sherlock had been off exhibit and in veterinary care for the months leading up to his passing. He shared a habitat with Moriarty, a five-year-old red fox who also came to the Utica Zoo from a rehabilitation facility.

Red foxes have a life span of 3-4 years in the wild and 10-12 years under human care.

You've left a mark on our hearts, Sherlock.

Many Central New Yorker's and zoo visitors are sharing their condolences online:

Alyssa Belush: "Always a favorite for our family. Our condolences to his keepers who feel the loss so heavily."

Lindsey Taube: "RIP Sherlock. He was our first animal adoption and has felt like family ever since. He will be missed. Prayers for his caregivers and all of the Utica Zoo family.

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Help the Utica Zoo care for our more than 200 animals by symbolically adopting one of them. There are all sorts of different packages you can choose from, and you can read more here.

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