Sad news comes from the currently closed zoo: on April 22, the almost 19-year-old tigress Malea unfortunately had to be euthanized. The day before, the health condition of the aged tigress had acutely deteriorated massively. She showed a wavering, uncoordinated walk and vomited several times. Due to the advanced age of Malea and the poor prognosis, the zoo decided with a heavy heart to spare the animal further suffering.
Malea was born on April 25, 2001 in the Tierpark Berlin and was already a tiger senior with her almost 19 years. In 2004, she came to Frankfurt from the Wuppertal Zoo. Here she gave birth to four cubs with partner Iban.
Unforgettable is the tiger girl Daseep, born in 2010, who was not accepted by Malea and had to be raised by hand. But also the two brothers Taru and Asim conquered the hearts of zoo visitors in 2011 and in 2013 tiger girl Berani was the undisputed star at Frankfurt Zoo.
The exact clinical picture of Malea is now being examined at the Hessian State Laboratory (LHL) in Giessen. The symptoms point to either kidney failure, a very common medical condition in older cats, or even a mild stroke. "It is always very sad and also a great loss to have to put down such a charismatic animal as Malea," says Zoo Director Miguel Casares. "On the other hand, it is also a piece of everyday life at the zoo to accompany our animals from birth to death."
