Edmonton Valley Zoo euthanizes tiger due to age-related health issues

Taiga at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. (Edmonton Valley Zoo/Facebook)

The Edmonton Valley Zoo announced Wednesday that they had to euthanize one of their tigers, Taiga, after her health began to "rapidly decline."

Taiga was an Amur tiger that was brought to the Edmonton zoo as a kitten in 2008 from northern Ontario.

The zoo's team hand-reared Taiga and she was known for her outgoing "personality and goofy nature," according to the zoo.

"She continued to show particular affinity for her care team and always greeted them with a chuff in the morning," the zoo said in a social media post.

"She particularly enjoyed a good scratch through the fence with a back scratcher."

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are native to eastern Russia and northeast China and are one of the largest species of cats in the world.

They have an expected lifespan of 10 to 15 years in the wild and closer to 20 years in captivity, according to the WildCats Conservation Alliance.

Last week, the zoo made "the difficult but humane decision" to euthanize Taiga, who was 16 years old.

"Taiga had been experiencing age-related medical concerns in recent months, including decreased mobility due to osteoarthritis and spondylosis, as well as central vision loss," the zoo said online.

"She was under close observation and care from both her veterinary and zookeeping teams but despite ongoing and increased treatment, her health began to rapidly decline."

The zoo has another tiger, Amba.

"Although Taiga and Amba did not live together - female tigers are generally solitary - they would often greet each other through the fence," the zoo said online.

"Our team will continue to monitor Amba in the days and weeks ahead to ensure she is receiving any additional care she may need during this time."