Quentin Takintino dies at Riverview Park and Zoo
The only animal named for a celebrity at Riverview Park and Zoo has died.
Quentin Takintino was a male Sichuan takin (pronounced tahkin), an 800-pound, cloven-hoofed creature native to China.
His name was a play on Quentin Tarantino, the Hollywood movie director (Pulp Fiction).
Quentin Takintino was 15 (average lifespan in the wild is about 18 years).
According to a posting on the zoo’s website, Quentin had severe arthritis and was no longer responding to treatment.
“The progress of this degenerative disease had left him unable to stand or walk, except for short periods,” states the posting.
The website further states that Quentin was “humanely euthanized” on Monday morning.
“We would like to thank our staff and Dr. John Sallaway (equine veterinarian) for their assistance with Quentin’s ongoing treatment and care,” states the posting.
Quentin arrived at the zoo in May 2014 from Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg. It arrived at the Winnipeg zoo in 2006 from Minnesota
The zoo also has another takin, Yao-Ming, who arrived as a oneyear-old from the Valley Zoo in Edmonton in May 2016.
The two takins were kept together in the exhibit space visible from Water St. (which used to house llamas).
The takin is a species of goldenfleeced cattle native to western China, where the animal is regarded as a national treasure, much like Panda bears.