Losing a Friend

On Monday November 30th, we announced the passing of our beloved Leopard Gecko, Jupiter. The announcement was probably "enough" to appropriately handle the loss. But Jupiter was an animal companion of mine, Brittany Roger, for nearly 7 years and I would like to take the time to honor her. 

The animals at The Drawing Zoo are not like other zoo animals. They do not come from other zoos, we do not import them, trade or breed them. They are not on any permanent display, and usually come from homes that can no longer provide care.  

Jupiter was very young when she was in need of a new home. For 6 and 1/2 years I kept her warm, bathed her, watched her shed, and giggled every time she stalked a bug with her tail twitching behind her. When The Drawing Zoo became incorporated, she was one the "go to" animals. Her bright colors, hypnotizing pattern, slinky movements and those huge eyes made her an awesome model. 

Earliest picture of Jupiter

Students were always curious about her tail. "Why is it purple?" "Why is it puffy?" "Did she lose her tail?" "Can her tail grow back?" I had a huge learning experience last summer when I came home after a class to find Jupiter stuck in one of her logs and her tail limp, unattached on the floor of the cage. I was horrified. It turned out that she had gained some weight and I didn't consider how that would affect her. When she crawled into her favorite log and the like Winnie the Pooh - got stuck. Apparently, she was so stressed that she dropped her tail! Until that point, I thought that geckos dropped their tails when being chased by a predator. Now I know any kind of stress will do the trick. We immediately broke her free with no further harm done and quarantined her until the tail began to re-grow. 

Just finished lunch!

Jupiter was special. When she slept, she looked like a rolling pin. When she ate, she looked like a panther. When she stretched, she reminded me of a baby stretching their short digits. She was beautiful whether she sported a long or nubby tail. She travelled well and always seemed in a good mood. Student's faces lit up when they saw her and she inspired some beautiful artwork. We will miss her dearly.

-Brittany Roger
The Drawing Zoo