TORONTO ZOO ENDANGERED AMUR TIGER CUBS UPDATE

TORONTO, ON, Friday, May 21, 2021: It is with broken hearts we announce that Amur tiger cub, fondly referred to as ‘Small’, was humanely euthanized earlier today.

‘Small’ had been closely monitored since she was born on April 30, 2021 as she was not gaining weight. Our world-class team investigated further and learned she had an enlarged heart that we suspected was contributing to her slow development. A Veterinary Cardiologist was brought into the Zoo to conduct additional testing to look into our suspicion and to advise on the development of targeted treatment.

Unfortunately, this confirmed that ‘Small’ was suffering from several birth defects in the structure of her heart. These defects included a hole between the main chambers, leaking valves, and abnormal confirmation of her blood vessels (her aorta should come from the left side of her heart and hers was coming from the right which is not surgically repairable). As a result, there was too much blood pumping to ‘Small’s’ lungs and the mixing of oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood in her heart. This condition would ultimately result in heart failure and severe respiratory issues. ‘Small’ went for further examination this morning where a heart ultrasound and a CT scan were performed confirming the severity of these defects. Despite the team’s intensive care, these defects were deemed too complex to be repaired. The difficult decision to end her life peacefully was made following many days of careful assessment, during which we gave ‘Small’ the best chance at survival while also ensuring her quality of life was not compromised.

This is a devastating loss for your Toronto Zoo team after working tirelessly to help these cubs since Mazy gave birth. We want to thank all the external specialists who also assisted in this challenging case over the last few weeks. ‘Big’, the remaining cub, continues to thrive. She is growing rapidly and mom Mazy continues to be an attentive and cooperative mom as our team keeps a close eye on the cub. We will continue to provide updates as ‘Big’ continues to grow.

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Media Contact Information:

Katie Gray
Manager of Strategic Communications
[email protected]

Amanda Chambers
Toronto Zoo’s Supervisor of Strategic Communications
[email protected]

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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.

An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.

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