Roger Williams Park Zoo remembering Gina the camel

By: News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) —  It was a tough day at Roger Williams Park Zoo Tuesday morning after staff and patrons mourned the loss of one of the camels.

An enclosure at Roger Williams Park Zoo missed one half of its residents Tuesday.

“It wasn’t a huge surprise. We knew that she was declining in her health, but it’s still always a difficult choice,” said Animal Care Manager, PJ Jones.

Gina the beloved camel was humanely euthanized over the weekend. She had been suffering from arthritis and could no longer stand.

PJ Jones shared her memories of Gina with ABC6 news on Tuesday.

“She would get high headed and look at you funny if you asked her to do something she didn’t want to. She had her own mind of things and wasn’t afraid to do it. But she was a very sweet animal,” said Jones.

It was back in May of 1996 that Gina joined the zoo family. She was a favorite with staff as well as guests on Marco Polo’s adventure trek.

Many of them took time to post about her on zoo’s Facebook page. Others stopped by Tuesday sad to learn the news.

Gina shared a home with her long-time friend Sasha.

Zoo keepers say she is grieving in her own way and they are giving her the space she needs.

Camels typically live to be 17 or 18-years-old. So at 22, Gina clearly had a long and happy life

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017