We are incredibly sad to share that we had to say goodbye to a cherished member of our zoo family. Late last week the Edmonton Valley Zoo’s animal care and animal health teams made the difficult but humane decision to compassionately euthanize Taiga, our 16-year-old Amur tiger. 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. 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.
Taiga was born in Northern Ontario and came to the #yegzoo in 2008 as a kitten. Our animal care team spent countless hours hand-rearing both Taiga and our other tiger, Amba. Our team continued to work with Taiga using positive reinforcement training to allow for voluntary injections that helped treat her osteoarthritis.
Taiga was known for her outgoing personality and goofy nature. She continued to show particular affinity for her care team and always greeted them with a chuff in the morning. She particularly enjoyed a good scratch through the fence with a back scratcher.
Although Taiga and Amba did not live together – female tigers are generally solitary – they would often greet each other through the fence. 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.
Thank you to Taiga’s incredible care team, both past and present, for the exceptional commitment, dedication, support and love you provided her during her life. Please keep our entire team in your thoughts during this difficult time as we grieve our loss.
Finally, thank you to all of the zoo guests who have visited and loved Taiga over the past 16 years. She will be missed by all of us.
