12/14 ~ Mama Tiger is no longer with us

Aldergrove - For Mama Tiger her home since birth, 20 years ago, was the Greater Vancouver Zoo. On Thursday December 13 at approximately 11 am, Mama Tiger, our much loved elderly Siberian tiger was humanely euthanized following a long history of arthritis and continued decline in health. She lived a really long life with two of her daughters, Miss Kitty and Sweetie (10 years old), at the Zoo.

Siberian Tigers are listed as “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN Redlist (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and are predicated to be “Extinct in the Wild” by 2010. Destruction of habitat and illegal poaching are the main threats to the existence of these tigers in the wild. There were 8 subspecies of tigers in 1900, but three have become extinct in the last hundred years. Of the remaining 5 subspecies, three are critically endangered.

According to Dr. Bruce Burton, Veterinary for the Zoo, “the decision to euthanize was not taken lightly...we did lots of soul searching over the last few weeks. She had been taking medication for about a year now for her joint problems, but lately her health was deteriorating even more.”




In the wild they typically live 12 to 15 years, but in captivity up to 25 years since they have no predators, consistent pressure from other tigers or habitat loss. In captivity they live longer as well due to the improved nutritional ingredients of the diet that animals are fed and the excellent animal care they receive.

Tony Guenther (Property Manager) at the Zoo commented, “It is sad to see her go, but it is for the best. She just wasn’t herself lately and we don’t want to see any of our animals suffer.” Tony has been at the Zoo for the last 25 years and began his Zoo career as a keeper and actually hand-raised Mama Tiger when she was first born at the Zoo.

Siberian Tigers are the largest living cats and are native to the Far Eastern part of Russia, Northern China and Korea. They usually live in mixed forest regions and near the mountain areas.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo will be open late on Tuesday December 18 until 8 pm for a special children’s Christmas concert from Parkside Elementary School. The Zoo would like to invite guests and all animal lovers on this evening who want to pay respect for our wonderful ambassador, Mama Tiger, to come by and light a candle in her memory. Also if interested you may write a special message for Mama on a tiger wall that will be displayed by the train station, the $2 donation will be collected for future tiger conservation efforts in the wild.

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