HERSHEY, Pa. — Officials with ZooAmerica announced the passing of a long-time resident.
Johnny, the 15-year-old white-tailed deer, reportedly passed away. He was a geriatric buck and had been treated for arthritis for the last several years.
According to a Facebook post, Johnny arrived in 2009 and captured guests' attention with his sweet, laid-back attitude. Often pictured with his tongue out, Johnny was curious and would frequently initiate greetings with his keepers.
Johnny was described as "the deer next door," known as the one everyone wanted to hang out with.
Apart from his warm personality, Johnny's antlers grew to an impressive size. He never had completely symmetrical antlers and was typically an 18-pointer during his prime.
Participants of the Early Bird Tour could feed Johnny some of his favorite snacks: apples and bananas.
"We will all greatly miss Johnny and are grateful for more than 14 years spent with this incredible deer," ZooAmerica staff members wrote on Facebook.
