Jata, a 7-year-old African painted dog in residence at the Dallas Zoo, has died, the zoo announced Friday.
Jata died June 29 after two weeks of decreased appetite and lethargy, the zoo said in a social media post announcing his death. The veterinary teams provided intensive care to address his symptoms, the post said, but he continued to decline.
While the official cause of death is not yet known, the zoo said initial findings indicated acute kidney failure.
African painted dogs are an endangered species with just 7,000 remaining in the wild, according to a 2020 post from the zoo. They live in packs with intricate social structure and are highly intelligent.
Jata and his brother Mzingo joined the Dallas Zoo in 2019 from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. They were part of a three-member pack at the Dallas Zoo that also included Cholula, a female who came to Dallas in 2020 from Denver.
The social media post announcing Jata’s death said the zoo is closely monitoring Mzingo and Cholula for any signs of distress. None were reported at this time, but the zoo is providing additional enrichment to them as a cautionary measure.
In 2019, shortly after Jata and his brother moved to Dallas, they attacked and killed the previous third member of the pack at the Dallas Zoo. At the time, zoo employees said it was natural for younger members of a pack to test the social structure and that the brothers did nothing wrong.
The post described Jata as a great alpha dog and loyal mate. His favorite time of day was feeding time, and he loved to jump and catch treats.
