Rare tiger cub dies at N.B. zoo after being born with health issues
MONCTON, N.B. Staff at a New Brunswick zoo are mourning the loss of a rare tiger cub who died more than a week after she was born with three siblings.
The Magnetic Hill Zoo announced in a Facebook post that the young female tiger passed away Sunday despite efforts by her mother, Anya, and a veterinarian to help her survive.
Officials at the Moncton zoo said it became clear on Saturday that she was failing and would likely not improve.
“She was the smallest animal and was not putting on the same weight gain as the other animals,” Jill Marvin, director of the municipally owned zoo, said Tuesday.
“On the weekend it was her temperature — when they're not maintaining temperature, that’s when we feel they’re in a much more critical situation”
The cub was born as part of a litter of four to the zoo's Amur tiger on May 11. This was the second litter for the mother, who arrived there in 2013 and had three cubs in 2016.
It’s estimated there are only about 400 Amur tigers left in the world, with most found in northern Russia.
Marvin said a necropsy would be done to try to determine the cause of death, but that it could have been anything from a birth defect to an inability to absorb nutrients.
The Facebook post had received 800 responses Tuesday morning and was shared more than 150 times, with most expressing their sadness at the loss.
“RIP little one,” one woman wrote. “My thoughts are with the wonderful staff and all involved in caring for her during this difficult time.”
In the post, the zoo said the mother and three remaining cubs showed no signs of complications and are thriving. The survival rate in the wild and under human care for the tigers is about one in three.
It said the mom and cubs will not be on exhibit for several weeks, “as they bond together and get through the difficult stages of early development.” Marvin said it’s not yet clear what will happen to the cubs, but that the zoo would likely talk to other similar facilities that might be interested in acquiring them.