Draco. Courtesy National Zoo.

The National Zoo announced today that their eight-year-old cheetah named Draco was euthanized.

“According to his keepers, Draco was a finicky eater his whole life,” the Zoo said in a release. “Recently, he began to show even less interest in food. In order to ensure Draco received the nutrients he needed, keepers and Zoo nutritionists placed meat chunks on a modified tool to interest Draco in the food. Often, it took several feeding sessions throughout the day to entice him to eat.”

Tony Barthel, curator of the Cheetah Conservation Station, said “Our team worked tirelessly for a long time to get Draco to eat on his own. Ultimately, his long-term prognosis would not permit him a good quality of life.”

A final pathology report will be conducted, the Zoo said. A December surgery revealed that Draco suffered from a “constricted, ulcerated area in his gastrointestinal tract, which likely contributed to his poor condition.”

Draco’s brothers Granger and Zabini are still on exhibit, as are deer-eaters Carmelita and Justin. Tumai, a senior female cheetah, died last year.