Oakland Zoo’s Two Tigers Rescued Together from a Roadside Zoo Die Just Months Apart

Summary:

OAKLAND, CA – Mia, the Oakland Zoo’s last remaining tiger, died Wednesday after it was determined cancer had spread throughout her body. Treatment would have been “extensive and invasive,” the zoo said, leaving her care team with the decision to euthanize. Mia is the second tiger to be euthanized this year at the zoo.

The Oakland Zoo rescued Mia and another tiger named Lola from an unaccredited “roadside” zoo in Oklahoma in 2022. The pair of big cats were kept in tiny cages that were “severely substandard,” according to the Oakland Zoo. In January, the Oakland Zoo noticed Lola had developed a limp on her right front paw. Her handlers provided her immediate treatment, but she became “increasingly uncomfortable” and was taken for an emergency examination. Lola’s care team identified a severe infection that had spread throughout her body. After numerous rounds of antibiotics were unsuccessful, a decision was made to euthanize her, according to the zoo. Lola was estimated to be 12 years old.

More recently, Mia’s animal care team noted she wasn’t eating and wasn’t as active as she should have been. When examined, veterinarians found she had advanced metastatic cancer that had dismal options for treatment, leading to the team’s decision to euthanize her. The zoo estimated her age to be 14 years old.

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