Tiger Mohan Humanely Euthanized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 27, 2020
TACOMA, Wash.—Mohan, a 15-year-old male Sumatran tiger who came to Tacoma in 2017, was humanely euthanized at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Saturday after a decline in his health over the last month.
Mohan was being treated for advanced kidney disease, high blood pressure and severe arthritis in his neck, said Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium head veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf.
“While his time with us wasn’t long, Mohan was a favorite of our staff and guests and will be greatly missed,” said Dr. Wolf. “He inspired us all to care deeply about tigers and to take action to save this critically endangered species in the wild.”
An estimated 300 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild on their native Indonesian island of Sumatra. About 80 Sumatran tigers live in North American zoos.
The zoo’s tigers serve as ambassadors for their wild counterparts, helping to teach guests about human encroachment, deforestation and poaching that threaten to send the species to extinction.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff are leaders in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ (AZA) Tiger Conservation Campaign and are longtime supporters of Wildlife Response Units in Sumatran that work with villages to address human-tiger conflict, reduce poaching and prevent illegal habitat loss.
Results of the necropsy, or animal autopsy, are pending to determine the cause of the decline in Mohan’s health, Wolf said.
Three other Sumatran tigers live in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary: Bandar, 6, Kali, 6, and Kirana, 5.
To learn more about tiger conservation, see our Save Tigers page.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Northwest’s only combined zoo and aquarium, promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s resources through education, conservation, research and recreational opportunities. The zoo, a division of Metro Parks Tacoma, is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA).
Media Contacts:
Whitney DalBalcon, 253-404-3637; 253-278-6343 or whitney.dalbalcon@pdza.org
Tessa LaVergne, 253-404-3805 or tessa.lavergne@pdza.org