This Zoo Miami critically endangered tiger has been euthanized. Here’s why
A critically endangered tiger has been euthanized at Zoo Miami after the severely anemic and dehydrated animal was diagnosed with cancer, wildlife expert Ron Magill announced Friday.
Berani, a 15-year-old Sumatran tiger, had been lethargic and had lost his appetite over the last several days, Magill, the zoo’s spokesman, said in a news release.
The rare tiger was immobilized and brought to the zoo’s animal hospital on Tuesday for a diagnosis.
A series of procedures — radiographs, ultrasounds, blood and urine collection and an endoscopy — showed an enlarged spleen and abnormalities of the kidneys, Magill said. Test results revealed late Thursday the heartbreaking news that Berani had cancer of the spleen.
Berani was euthanized at the zoo Thursday night, Magill told the Miami Herald. The tiger was undergoing a necropsy late Friday morning.
“Sadly, due to his advanced age and an extremely poor prognosis for any improvement, the very difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize him to provide him the dignity in death that he displayed throughout his life,” Magill said.
Berani was born at the San Francisco Zoo in March 2008 and came to Zoo Miami via the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama in 2013 as part of a Species Survival Plan recommendation. He was paired with a female named Leeloo and successfully sired a male cub named Satu in 2015 along with a female cub named Ndari in 2021.
READ MORE: Elder Sumatran tiger seriously ill at Zoo Miami, officials say. He’s undergoing tests
There are believed to be less than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild where they are found in forested areas on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their biggest threats are habitat loss to palm oil plantations and poaching. They are the smallest subspecies of tiger, with males reaching up to 300 pounds and females closer to 200 pounds.
“Zoo staff and volunteers are heartbroken over this outcome,” Magill said, “and are committed to continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that the legacy of this amazing tiger lives on.”
Miami Herald staff writer Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 11:09 AM.
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