Eve, a 21-year-old platypus who had become a rare and treasured ambassador for her species, passed away on March 18 following ongoing treatment for pneumonia. Wildlife care specialists had been monitoring her condition around the clock, and she died with her care team by her side. At 21, Eve had surpassed the typical lifespan for platypuses, which generally live up to 20 years.
Eve’s presence at the Safari Park was not just rare, it was historic. Hatched in October 2004 at Taronga Zoo Sydney in Australia, she arrived in San Diego in 2019 alongside male platypus Birrarung, marking the first time in more than 50 years that platypuses had been cared for outside of Australia. As one of the only platypuses ever housed internationally, Eve played a critical role in research, conservation, and public education efforts tied to one of the world’s most unique mammals.
Through her daily routines, which included gliding through water, foraging for crayfish, and adapting to a carefully controlled habitat, Eve helped scientists better understand platypus biology and contributed to conservation strategies aimed at protecting Australia’s fragile freshwater ecosystems. For visitors, she offered a rare, almost mythical connection to a species few people ever see in person.
Her death, however, arrives during what has become one of the most emotionally taxing periods in recent memory for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Over the past year, the organization has lost several of its most iconic and long-tenured animals, including Kalluk, a 24-year-old polar bear; Nicky, a 28-year-old Masai giraffe and longtime herd matriarch; Maka, a 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla; and Gramma, the legendary Galápagos tortoise believed to have been over 140 years old. Each of those deaths carried significant weight for staff and the public alike, creating a sense that the institution has been navigating an unusually concentrated period of loss.
These emotional blows have unfolded alongside major organizational changes, including leadership turnover and labor unrest that brought rare public scrutiny to the century-old nonprofit. In late 2025, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance elevated longtime executive Shawn Dixon to permanent CEO following a contentious period as interim leader, a decision that drew mixed reactions internally after a year of tense union negotiations and employee dissatisfaction over wages and working conditions.
Against that backdrop, Eve’s passing underscores both the triumphs and challenges of modern zoo operations, where long-lived animals inevitably reach the ends of their lives even as institutions face increasing public expectations around transparency, ethics, and animal care.
Still, the Zoo Wildlife Alliance emphasized Eve’s legacy as one of impact and connection. As the only zoo outside Australia entrusted with platypus care, the organization highlighted its ongoing partnership with Taronga Zoo Sydney and Australian conservation groups, noting that Eve’s life contributed to a broader, decades-long effort to protect species of deep environmental and cultural significance.
For those who cared for her, and for the countless visitors who marveled at her, Eve was more than a scientific milestone. She was a living symbol of the Safari Park’s global reach and its ability to bring distant ecosystems into focus for a San Diego audience. In a year marked by both loss and transition, her absence will be deeply felt.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is located at 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road in San Diego's North County city of Escondido. For more information, visit sandiegozoo.org.
Originally published on March 19, 2026.
