Staff at the Saint Louis Zoo has been saddened by the death of Bennie the sea lion.
A star of the zoo’s first bank sea lion show Bennie died on the 18th of April. His death occurred at the zoos Lichtenstein Sea Lion Arena around 1.30pm.
For the past two weeks Bennie had been taking time out from performing. Vets were monitoring his condition and providing care.
Bennie was born on the 15 June 2002. His entire life was spent at the Saint Louis Zoo where he was born to parents Hide and Roland.
He spent seven years performing in the seal show.
Keepers are unsure of what caused Bennie’s passing. The zoo’s pathologist will carry out a necropsy Full information on what caused the death will not be able for several weeks as the vets await the results.
Bennie met many people from celebrities through to average citizens. He happily gave them kisses one of the tricks which he was trained to complete. He was a star of the sea lion show.
He was described as having a loving nature and high spirits which along with his magnificent performances will be remembered for years zoo staff said.
You can see the website for the Saint Louis Zoo here: http://www.stlzoo.org/
