EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Mesker Park Zoo is celebrating the 20th birthday of Beliza, a jaguar who has outlived both the average life expectancy for her species and a cancer diagnosis that once gave her only months to live.
Zoo officials say jaguars typically live 12 to 15 years in the wild. Beliza, who has been at the zoo since 2007, has surpassed that range while managing an ongoing cancer diagnosis.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment
As we told you in 2019, Beliza was diagnosed with cancer and was not expected to survive more than a few months.
“She’s been on oral medication for that cancer since then and it’s done a great job of keeping it steady. It’s not going to cure it, but it’s very effective treatment for her to be able to continue. We’re still seeing a lot of her natural behaviors,” said Shannon Irmscher, animal curator at Mesker Park Zoo.
Birthday celebration
Beliza marked her birthday Wednesday with a celebration at 1:30 p.m. that included a goat’s milk popsicle cake and a piñata.
She also received a giant toy pickle from Hunter, the 14-year-old son of zoo member Mike Mason…