Beloved feline who was ‘lost in his own world’ dies at Arizona zoo, officials say

Chirping sounds emitted from the massive crates. Airport employees stared at the blanket-covered masses on the floor of the cargo terminal, wondering what tremendous bird was inside.

Except the creatures inside the crates weren’t birds – they were cheetahs, chirping away as cheetahs do to communicate with one another.

It was 2014 and a group of cheetah brothers were being transported from Florida to Arizona by handlers from the Phoenix Zoo. On their way to their private flight, the group had a lot to say.

The most talkative of the brothers was Beau, a social and affectionate male as described by his handlers in a March 12 Facebook post.

Ten years later, handlers reminisce about this day and many other days with Beau after having to put him down on March 1.

“Beau was one of the sweetest cheetahs I’ve had the pleasure to work with,” said Jacob, a keeper at the Phoenix Zoo. “He had a close relationship with all – always purring when he came in, and if he couldn’t see his brothers, chirping to find them.”

“He was lovingly referred to as Beau-Beau or Beau-friend by his keepers,” said Kim, another handler.

Keepers also remember catching Beau daydreaming quite often.

“One of my favorite things about him was how he’d get distracted and seem to become lost in his own world, probably imagining lounging around in the sun,” Jacob said.

Beau was 10 when he died, an old man in cheetah years. The average life span of a cheetah is 10-12 years, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, with male cheetahs often living only eight years due to territorial conflicts in the wild.

According to the zoo, before Beau’s passing, he was being monitored for hindlimb weakness and partial paralysis that progressed rapidly. An aggressive and untreatable bone tumor was also found in his lower vertebral column that was hurting his spinal cord.

The zoo describes their choice to euthanize him as one that didn’t come easy.

He “was a cherished member of our family here at the Phoenix Zoo,” Jacob said.

“I hope you’re in a place with endless sunshine, shade, and rabbits to chase. You’ll be dearly missed Beau.”

This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Beloved feline who was ‘lost in his own world’ dies at Arizona zoo, officials say."