Woodland Park Zoo euthanized its last tiger today, a 20-year-old female Sumatran named JoJo, following age-related complications. JoJo produced five cubs at the zoo
Today was the last day on Earth for JoJo, Woodland Park Zoo's last Sumatran tiger, who was euthanized at 20 years old, according to a press release.
JoJo came in 2001 from the Memphis Zoo and was a breeding companion for the zoo's only male tiger of the time, Rakata. They lived with each other for 11 years and produced five cubs. Rakata died earlier this year in February, at the age of 19.
“It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to JoJo and the last tiger in our animal collection. She regaled us with her majestic beauty and was a superb mother to her cubs,” said Martin Ramirez in the press release, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo.
JoJo's health had been declining for the last several months and has been suffering from a kidney disease since 2007. According to the zoo, veterinary staff and zookeepers made sure that JoJo was made comfortable in her final days.
The Sumatran tiger is on the endangered species list and is now a very rare breed, with only 400 believed to exist in the wild. Illegal poaching, human overpopulation and habitat destruction are all causes for the tiger species' waning population.
Though JoJo has passed on, the zoo promises that we will see new tigers in the near future, in the new conservation exhibit set to open in 2014. This time, it will be the endangered Malayan tiger, a relative of the Sumatran.
Until then, a moment of silence for JoJo.