ALBION, Ind. (ADAMS) – Staff and volunteers at Black Pine Animal Sanctuary are mourning the passing of their resident kinkajou, Mishka.
Mishka was one of two resident kinkajous, leaving behind his lifelong companion, Chu.
Representatives with Black Pine released the following:
In the wild, kinkajous can live up to 25 years. Mishka, after years of excellent care at Black Pine Animal Sanctuary (with no danger of predators, proper medical care and proper nutrition,) lived to the ripe old age of 28! He cohabitated with Chu his entire life! Chu and Mishka were often found cuddled up together in their hut, and Mishka was always the first out at feeding time! He preferred to stay up high during meals, while Chu could be found on the floor with his grub and picking up all that Mishka dropped!
In his last days, Mishka began to refuse the meds used to make him more comfortable. His quality of life began to decline. With his comfort being the most important thing to his caretakers, in one final act of caring, the difficult decision to end his suffering and humanely euthanize him was made. He was surrounded by caregivers who loved him and provided him with care for several years. His staff will miss his sounds of delight as he munched on his favorite snack, a banana! They will even miss making him scrambled egg yolks, understanding he wasn’t a fan of the whites!
Before finding refuge at Black Pine, Mishka and Chu were kept as pets and were voluntarily surrendered when their owner discovered it was nearly impossible to sleep with 2 wild and nocturnal animals in their house. Our hearts go out to Mishka’s caretakers and Mishka’s lifelong companion, Chu. Keepers will now face the challenge of consoling Chu and providing him with more enrichment and stimulation as he grieves his best friend. To show Mishka’s caretakers your appreciation or to leave a memorial for Mishka you can donate here
If you would like to sponsor Chu’s habitat in memory of his best buddy, you can do so by clicking here
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