9 min read Zoo Reportedly Killed Wolf Just Because They Didn't Want Her Anymore "What they’re doing is culling an animal so they can put others on display that are younger, more attractive."

Last year, the Calgary Zoo in Canada featured Kali, its resident grey wolf, in a promotional video. The zoo was doing an online survey, asking the public to vote for Canada’s greatest animal species. Over 11,000 people cast their votes. At the end of the video, Kali flashed onto the screen as the presenter declared the wolf the winner. “So exciting,” the presenter said in the video. “Congratulations, Canada. And congratulations, grey wolf.” This past Tuesday, less than a year after this campaign, Calgary Zoo euthanized Kali for a reason some animal welfare advocates are struggling to understand. According to a zoo employee who contacted Zoocheck, a Canadian animal protection organization, Calgary Zoo killed Kali simply to make room for a group of younger wolves.

The photo of Kali featured in Calgary Zoo's promotional video | Calgary Zoo

“I learned about this just shortly before the animal was euthanized,” Julie Woodyer, campaign director for Zoocheck, told The Dodo. “I guess there was a plan to euthanize her because the zoo had brought in a group of young wolves that they wanted to put on display, and they felt that this animal wouldn’t integrate well, and rather than finding a place to move the animal to, they euthanized it.” Kali was 14 years old, which is considered old for a wolf, but she was fairly healthy, according to the informant (who asked to stay anonymous for her own protection).

Kali in her enclosure at the Calgary Zoo | Facebook/Calgary Zoo

“I’m not aware that the animal had any health issues that would require euthanasia,” Woodyer said. “She had typical age-related ailments — arthritis and joint issues — but nothing that would be considered a prognosis where the animal should be euthanized for its own benefit.” “The informant said they were euthanizing not because she was too old, but that they wanted to put the young animals on display and they could not integrate her due to her age,” Woodyer added. Before Woodyer had a chance to contact Calgary Zoo herself, Kali was put down.

Kali in her enclosure at the Calgary Zoo | Facebook/Teymur Gafarov

“She didn’t need to die,” Woodyer said. “Those decisions weren’t made in her interest. Essentially, what they’re doing is culling an animal so they can put others on display that are younger, more attractive, perhaps more engaging for the public to see.” When The Dodo contacted Calgary Zoo, a representative said that the zoo had euthanized Kali for welfare reasons. “The Calgary Zoo places top priority on animal welfare,” Larissa Mark, communications manager for Calgary Zoo, told The Dodo. “As such, all decisions related to animal welfare are taken very seriously, with all possible factors taken into account. When the decision is made to euthanize an animal, it is to relieve suffering, including a compromise of animal welfare that cannot be relieved in any other way.”

A recent photo of Kali at the Calgary Zoo | Facebook/Karen McDaniel

However, the zoo also said that there were “social” issues that made euthanasia the best choice. “The recent decision to euthanize Kali, our 14-year-old geriatric wolf, was no exception as she had declining age-related health issues, as well as unresolvable social issues for some time,” Mark continued. “She will be missed by our Animal Care team, especially by the zookeepers and veterinary staff that raised her as a young pup and cared for her over the years.” While Mark acknowledged that the zoo had acquired a new group of wolves (who have not yet been put on public display), she denied that they were the reason for Kali’s euthanasia.

Kali with her former companion at the Calgary Zoo — her companion passed away a few years ago, according to Woodyer | Facebook/Reuben Louw

Yet Woodyer is having trouble believing the zoo’s explanation. “Most zoos don’t want older animals,” she said. “They’re not as attractive, they’re not as active.” What the zoo should have done, in Woodyer’s opinion, was move Kali to another enclosure at the zoo, or transfer her to a legitimate sanctuary. “Before they even brought in the newer wolves, they should have figured out how they were going to deal with this older wolf, and where they could move it to,” Woodyer said. “Perhaps within the zoo, maybe adjacent to the new wolves, or to a new facility like the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, for instance, that regularly takes in animals in these circumstances.”

Kali in her enclosure at Calgary Zoo | Facebook/Photo Arts

Woodyer also believes that Kali could have lived for several more years. "They [captive wolves] can live to 17 years of age,” Woodyer said. “Zoos are always arguing that they provide such amazing care (diet, vet care, etc.), and that the animals are better off in the zoo and live longer, so they can’t now argue that the animal was old.” This isn’t the first time Calgary Zoo has come under fire for its treatment of animals. In 2016, an otter died after getting tangled up in a pair of pants given to him as an "enrichment item," and seven Humboldt penguins mysteriously drowned, despite being aquatic animals. Before that, 41 cownose stingrays died because of a lack of oxygen in their tank, and a hydraulic door crushed a female capybara.

“There’s a long list of problems that have gone on at this zoo,” Woodyer said. “They needed to start prioritizing animal welfare over visitor experience. But it’s obvious with this wolf incident that either they’ve regressed back to the state they were in, or that they never did change.”