Wellington Zoo puts down peccaries

Photo / Wellington Zoo.

The last three peccarries in New Zealand have died today.

The Wellington Zoo trio - Kermit, 16, Gonzo, 16, and Animal, 15 - were all put down by staff as each of them were suffering from severe arthritis.

Closely related to wild pigs, Pecarries, also known as Javelina, are a pig-like mammal found in the southern deserts of the United States southward through the Amazonian basin to Patagonian South America.

The trio were almost twice the age Peccarries live to in the wild.

The peccaries have been treated by the veterinary team at The Nest - Te Kohanga, Wellington Zoo's animal hospital, for the past eight months.

After trying a variety of different medications in that time, a decision was made this week to euthanise.

"They were the last peccaries in New Zealand, and it is not possible for us to import more from South America, so it was a difficult and sad decision," Wellington Zoo chief executive Karen Fifield said.

"In the end, this is about their quality of life. After careful consideration it was decided that euthanising was the humane and right thing to do".

Wellington Zoo is to bring in locally bred kune kune pigs as part of a scheduled New Zealand-themed "Meet the Locals" development.