A 16-year-old Amur tiger has been euthanized at a Michigan zoo after suffering from an age-related spinal disease.
Staff at Lansing’s Potter Park Zoo noticed the tiger, named Sivaki, was reluctant to move and determined the disease was causing him discomfort, the Lansing State Journal reported Thursday.
“Treatment to address his spinal disease was initiated, but his condition worsened quickly and it was determined euthanasia was the humane decision,” Animal Health Director Ronan Eustace said in a statement.
Sivaki was euthanized Wednesday. He was the last Amur tiger at the zoo.
He was born in 2005 at the zoo and fathered three cubs. The cubs, along with their mother, were sent to other zoos over the years.
Amur tigers — also known as a Siberian tigers — once roamed in Russia and China, but are now endangered. Their population in the wild is estimated between 500 and 600 animals.