Wellington Zoo's Molly the Zebra dies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 20 (UPI) -- The Wellington, New Zealand, zoo was mourning the death Wednesday of 19-year-old Molly, its last remaining zebra, officials said.

The zebra had long been suffering from various ailments that had been treated with painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication, but zoo officials decided this week they could no longer keep her comfortable and so put her down, The Dominion Post reported.

Molly's death left the Wellington Zoo with no more zebras. Molly's female companion Zardi died less than a year ago. Since then, Molly had shared the herbivore enclosure with two ostriches, and three llamas were about to be added, the newspaper said.

Officials said Molly came to the zoo shortly after her 1990 birth at the Auckland Zoo, and at 19 was considered a survivor in the zebra world. In the wild, they live an average of 15 years, while 30 years is the captive zebra longevity record, the Post said.