(Photo: Courtesy of Magnetic Hill Zoo)
It has been a difficult couple of days for staff at the Magnetic Hill Zoo.
Anya, one of two Amur tigers at the zoo, died Wednesday during a routine checkup.
“What that procedure involves is giving her a small sedation, and the team would give her a full physical and give her any updated vaccines, take some blood, check her measurements, and teeth,” Director Jill Marvin says. “It is like the same thing that you would do with your domestic pet at a Veterinarian, or if you go to the doctor for a physical. When the procedure was done, they then gave her a reversal to wake up, but unfortunately she did not wake up.”
She says right now, the staff are trying to come to terms with this, “We work with the animals each and every day, and the Zookeepers are even closer. It’s like losing a friend.”
Marvin says Anya came to Moncton in 2013 with her mate Alik. They had two litters of cubs delivered at the Magnetic Hill Zoo.
“We consider them animals that are potentially dangerous and then you saw Anya with three little baby cubs, and picking them up so gently and licking them and caring for them. Just watching her when the cubs were getting older, she could be a playful mom, but when business was business, she just used that big paw and told them what to do,” Marvin says.
Anya was born on October 31, 2012. Amur tigers are endangered, with about 400 believed to exist in the forests of the Amur region in eastern Russia.
“She was just an incredible ambassador for her species. This is one of the most endangered species in the world. Anya and Alik have had the opportunity to meet all of our guests. They are definitely favourites to inspire people to appreciate and help protect,” Marvin says.
A necropsy is being done to help determine the cause of death.
“She will be greatly missed by staff and visitors,” Marvin says.
The Magnetic Hill Zoo has been helping tigers in the wild for years by raising awareness, as well as supporting projects in the wild through donations from the zoo’s conservation fund. Visitors can donate funds to support Amur tiger conservation programs in the wild at the zoo’s Amur exhibit.
