Percy The River Otter Euthanized At Sacramento Zoo

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Percy the river otter has been euthanized, the Sacramento Zoo announced on Thursday.

Sacramento Zoo officials say the 17-year-old North American river otter had a nervous system disorder that affected the way she walked. Treatments after her July diagnosis saw Percy regain her ability to walk.

Early this week, though, the difficulty returned, and veterinarians found her condition had worsened and her prognosis was poor. That, couple with arthritis in her hips and a renal disease left zoo officals with the difficult decision to euthanize her.

Percy was born in the wilds of Florida in 1999 and orphaned shortly after birth. She had to be hand-reared and was deemed unreleasable. She moved to the Sacramento Zoo later that year.

River otters can live between 20 and 25 years in captivity.