TACOMA, Wash. — A female Sumatran tiger died at Tacoma's Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Monday after a breeding introduction.
The 6-year-old tiger named Kirana was fatally hurt by Raja, a 2-year-old male tiger at the zoo. She died from injuries and a bacterial infection, according to the zoo’s head veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf.
Zoo general curator Dr. Karen Goodrowe said, “When tigers breed, it’s natural for them to spar with each other and there is typically some level of aggression. This level of aggression was far beyond what we would expect with tiger introductions.”
Goodrowe said Point Defiance has introduced four Sumatran tiger pairs since 2010 and none has resulted in a tiger death or serious injury.
Zoo staff had been introducing the pair to each other for months and they seemed comfortable with each other. But the interaction turned deadly after a barrier was removed between the two tigers.
Dr. Wolf called Kirana’s death “heartbreaking” for all zoo staff, but especially for those who have cared for her since she was a cub.
A statement from the zoo said, "A litter of cubs would help preserve this endangered species, which has only about 400 animals left in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Only 77 Sumatran tigers live in North American zoos."
