Boston's Franklin Park Zoo is mourning the loss of Anala, their 17-year-old female tiger that died on Monday.
Anala had been closely monitored by her care team at the zoo following an exam two months ago that revealed she was in kidney failure, a condition that was chronic and irreversible. Anala was a geriatric cat, and kidney issues in cats her age are not uncommon.
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Her health had steadily declined in recent days, and zoo officials said the decision was made to humanely euthanize her for quality of life reasons.
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“We all adored Anala, and are going to greatly miss her,” said Chris Bartos, an assistant curator at Zoo New England’s Franklin Park Zoo. “While this is sad news to share, we take comfort in knowing that Anala inspired and brought so much joy to so many of our visitors through the years.”
When the Tiger Tales habitat opened in 2006, it marked the first time that tigers had been exhibited at Franklin Park Zoo in 30 years. Anala, a Bengal mix, and Luther, a white tiger who passed away in 2019 due to cancer, were both confiscated as young cubs by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents during a sting operation at a wildlife sanctuary that was attempting to sell them.
“Anala was an incredible ambassador for her species, and we are deeply saddened to share the news of her passing,” said John Linehan, Zoo New England president and CEO. “She lived at Franklin Park Zoo for most of her life, and had such an incredible presence. In the many years that she lived here, her story helped us teach so many people about illegal wildlife trafficking, the human exploitation of tigers and the importance of protecting and preserving the incredible biodiversity on our planet.”
