Zebra Urias put down

Paignton Zoo insists he wasn't in any pain, despite pictures of "deformed" feet

Male zebra Urias hit headlines earlier this month, after a picture posted on Facebook showed his unusual feet. 

The zoo responded saying he came to them with a foot condition and was being cared for properly. 

However, we've learned today he has now been put down. 

In a statement the zoo said: "He came to us in 2012 with a conformation problem; his feet were trimmed regularly, but with short hooves he stood with his hind feet far further forward than normal, putting more weight on his heels and minimal weight on the toe. The pedal bone was rotated slightly, preventing a farrier from being able to trim the foot back to a perfectly normal shape. While his feet looked wrong, detailed welfare assessments showed that he was not in pain. However, his condition was only going to deteriorate with age. We didn’t want to lose him before we were able to bring another zebra in to keep our female Taru company. The TB restrictions delayed this, but we are finally in a position to bring another female to the zoo. It is always sad to lose an animal, especially one into which everyone has put so much time, care and effort. However, looking to the future, a new female with arrive soon and another male in due course. Urias’ problem feet made him a challenge at times, but he will be greatly missed, especially by his keepers."