Remembering Maggie: Zoo mourns loss of beloved female pudu

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications

Photos: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo

Pudu Maggie with the fawn she had in 2022

Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of its female pudu, Maggie. The 7-year-old animal passed away while recovering from anesthesia following a routine tooth extraction at the zoo’s veterinary hospital.

Pudu are the smallest deer species in the world and are native to South America. The small deer stands only 14 to 18 inches high at the shoulder and weighs between 14 and 30 pounds. The median life expectancy for pudus in zoos is 8 years old; pudus can live 8 to 10 years old in the wild.

Maggie was barely bigger than a pumpkin. Adult pudu are only 12" - 18" high at the shoulder and weigh between 14 - 30lbs.

“The tooth was extracted without complications and Maggie did well under anesthesia. She was being closely monitored as she began to recover,” said Dr. Yousuf Jafarey, an associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo. “As her recovery progressed, we noted abnormalities and cardiac arrest occurred. Unfortunately, despite recovery efforts, Maggie passed away. As is the case for humans, anesthesia has inherent risks for our animals. These deaths are unexpected, and we’re all incredibly saddened by the passing of Maggie.”

Maggie arrived at Woodland Park Zoo in 2018 to be paired with male Ted under the Pudu Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program across accredited zoos to help ensure a healthy, self-sustaining population of the species. Maggie and Ted have had five offspring together.

Maggie was an experienced and attentive mother, giving birth to a fawn each spring since 2020. Photo: Megan Blandford/Woodland Park Zoo

“Maggie and her mate, Ted, have been quite a prolific pair. For five consecutive years since 2020, Maggie has birthed a fawn each spring. Because they are the smallest deer species, the tiny size and overall cuteness of the babies sparked so many oohs and aahs from our guests and fans,” said Shawn Pedersen, an animal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “This is a sad loss for us and our zoo family and pudu fans are going to miss our sweet Maggie.” Ted and this year’s fawn remain at the zoo and live in the Temperate Forest habitat.

As a standard procedure, the zoo’s animal health team will perform a postmortem exam to further diagnose factors that may have contributed to Maggie’s death.

We will miss you mama Maggie.

The pudu is listed as near threatened due to hunting and a rapidly growing human population in the region that is leading to the loss of natural habitat due to clearing of land for residential and commercial development, agriculture, logging and other human activities.