Woodland Park Zoo says goodbye to its last Sumatran tiger
Aug 10, 2012, 2:35 PM | Updated: 9:22 pm
 Woodland Park’s Zoo’s last Sumatran tiger, JoJo was experiencing significant physical decline and was euthanized Friday. (Photo by Dale Unruh/WPZ) |
JoJo was 20 years old and experiencing age-related kidney failure. Woodland Park’s Zoo’s last Sumatran tiger was experiencing significant physical decline, so that made the difficult, but humane decision, to euthanize her Friday.
The zoo staff says it was a difficult decision, but the zookeepers and veterinary staff did their best to make JoJo’s last days as comfortable as possible.
JoJo was preceded in death by the zoo’s male tiger, 19-year-old Rakata. He was euthanized on February 17 after a sharp decline in his activity level and appetite.
Similar to JoJo, Rakata had ongoing kidney and liver decline. It’s a common cause of decline in geriatric zoo cats.
The Seattle zoo has been planning, designing and fundraising for a brand new tiger exhibit, and those plans are going on as scheduled.
“We will bring in a pair of Malayan tigers to enjoy the new exhibit when it’s finished in a few years,” read a post on the Woodland Park Zoo Facebook page.
“Until then, join us in remembering JoJo, an ambassador for an endangered species, a superb mother to five cubs over the years, and a treasure to our community. Thanks for keeping JoJo and her keepers in your thoughts.”
