Beloved cheetah who ‘stole the hearts of many’ dies after incident at Kansas zoo
A zoo in Kansas is mourning a beloved member of their wildlife family after they became injured in an unknown incident.
The Topeka Zoo said in a statement posted to Facebook on Sept. 24 that Leopold, one of their cheetahs, had to be euthanized after damaging his spine.
“On Thursday, September 18, animal care staff noticed that Leopold was walking with tenderness regarding his hind legs. Despite a few days of rest and treatment, his condition worsened. As a result, Leopold was examined using a CT scan on Sunday thanks to our good friends at Topeka ER,” the zoo said.
“The CT scan revealed that he had a fractured vertebra, which would require corrective surgery.”
He was transferred to a specialty vet with the equipment and expertise to give him an MRI and treatment. Unfortunately, the damage was greater than the zoo expected.
“The surgical team discovered at that time that the damage to his spine could not be repaired, and the humane decision was made to euthanize him,” the zoo said.
It’s not exactly known what caused the damage, even with video footage of Leopold in his habitat during the time the zoo believed the incident took place.
“Upon reviewing video footage from Leopold’s habitat, it appears that he was alert and visibly excited by activity occurring outside his enclosure on Wednesday,” the zoo said.
“Although he was not fully in view during the entire recording, it seems likely that he sustained an injury at that time, as he was observed walking away with noticeable tenderness.”
In a comment, the zoo said “it is theorized that he likely fell or landed wrong when jumping/moving through his exhibit, although obstructions of the camera view make pinpointing the exact moment/how the accident happened difficult.”
The loss of the cheetah affected not only the zoo staff, but guests as well.
“Losing Leopold is tragic and he will be deeply missed. He was a neat cat who very quickly stole the hearts of many,” Wrylie Guffey, animal care director, said in the statement. “Our focus has now turned to supporting his brother Roosevelt.”
The zoo said it has also changed the enclosure to reduce the risk of future incidents.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Beloved cheetah who ‘stole the hearts of many’ dies after incident at Kansas zoo."