The BREC Baton Rouge Zoo has reached out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a voluntary inspection of the zoo given the death of a juvenile Malayan tiger Wednesday.
According to a news release, Hadiah, one of two Malayan tigers at the zoo, died even though she appeared normal at the close of the zoo Wednesday. She was born on July 29, 2014, the zoo says. The cause of death is unknown, the zoo says in a statement.
“This death was much unexpected,” says Dr. Gordon Pirie, the zoo’s veterinarian. “Just earlier that afternoon, we were performing routine rounds with a LSU veterinary intern and she appeared to be exhibiting normal behavior and in great health.”
In March, the zoo announced the deaths of a baby golden lion tamarin, which is a small monkey, and two of its four giraffes. The announcement about the giraffes’ deaths came roughly five days after BREC announced the baby golden lion tamarin died.
It’s not uncommon for tamarins to die early in life. One of the giraffes died from a chronic illness, while the other succumbed to injuries it sustained after being knocked down by another giraffe.
According to BREC, even though zoo staff reported that Hadiah behaved normally at the time of the zoo’s closure Wednesday, video footage revealed the tiger did exhibit signs of abdominal stress before she died. Pirie says the abdominal stress could be attributed to gastric dilatation, which can be fatal.
“This is obviously heartbreaking for all the staff at the zoo, and we know we have many out there who have watched her since birth and are also feeling this loss,” zoo Director Phil Frost says in a statement. “Our veterinary and keeper staff provide the best quality of care for our animals possible, but deaths do happen, and unfortunately we’ve had a rough spring. By inviting the USDA to come in for a voluntary inspection, we’re hoping to assure our supporters that everything that can be done for the care and well-being of our animals is being done on a daily basis.”
