"Bud" the cheetah euthanized at Maryland Zoo after illness
BALTIMORE -- A cheetah at the Maryland Zoo was euthanized after a long bout of gastrointestinal illness, the zoo announced Tuesday.
The zoo said the cheetah, named Bud, had extensive and complex symptoms that required specialized and intensive care from numerous specialists.
"Bud had shown promising responses to the multifaceted treatments but, despite these efforts by Zoo staff, his condition slowly worsened," the zoo said. "Over the past week, it became clear that his quality of life had deteriorated and the difficult decision was made to euthanize him."
Bud came to the zoo with his brother, Davis, in March 2019 from a conservation park in Nebraska. The zoo said Davis is doing well without his brother, and that adult male cheetahs are typically solitary.
Cheetahs, which are the world's fasted land mammals, are endangered and number fewer than 12,500, the zoo said.
