Petenka the Pallas's Cat (c.2011-2024)
Obituary
Petenka, a male Pallas’s cat, passed away after a health decline at the Hogle Zoo on September 8, 2024.
Petekna was 13 years old and suffered from a history of seizures at the time of his death at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, UT. Earlier this summer, two other cats died at the Hogle Zoo, including a snow leopard named Chimeegui.
Pallas’s cats typically live around 11 years of age and are native to grassland and mountain habitats across parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. They are classified as Decreasing by the IUCN Red List. Petenka was part of the AZA’s breeding program for Pallas’s cats, leading to ten kittens. Captive breeding programs are often framed under a guise of conservation but serve to keep zoos stocked with baby animals for visitor appeal.
Wild animals cannot thrive to their fullest potential in captivity. If you want to observe wild cats of all sizes in your communities or while on vacation, we encourage you to avoid zoos and instead support accredited sanctuaries or Wildlife Heritage Areas.
