Harbor seal, 39, dies at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

One of the country’s oldest harbor seals died Friday at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, staff said.

The zoo euthanized 39-year-old Blackie after chemotherapy didn’t work against her esophageal cancer. She had been eating sporadically, and some days not at all, staff said.

After bringing in an oncologist, caretakers agreed the seal’s quality of life was declining to the point that euthanasia was necessary, the zoo said.

She’s survived by six other harbor seals at Point Defiance.

The zoo said the average life expectancy for a harbor seal in the wild is 24 years, and that Blackie was believed to be among the oldest of the animals in the United States.

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Harbor seal, 39, dies at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium."