‘Putin’ dies

by 8DonCo Sun Mar 27, 2022 7:03 pm

Tiger named ‘Putin’ dies at Minnesota Zoo

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Putin, a 12-year-old Amur tiger, died Wednesday at the Minnesota Zoo.(Minnesota Zoo via CNN Newsource)

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (Gray News) - A 12-year-old Amur tiger named Putin died at the Minnesota Zoo on Wednesday.

The zoo said in a press release that Putin experienced cardiac failure during a routine medical procedure, and despite “heroic” emergency efforts of veterinarians and zoo staff, he did not survive.

“Today is an incredibly hard day for all of us at the Minnesota Zoo and we will be mourning for quite some time,” said Minnesota Zoo Director John Frawley.

The tiger was undergoing a preventative health exam that included the collection of samples to assist with breeding efforts. The zoo said there are approximately 103 Amur tigers in AZA-accredited zoos in North America, and there are believed to be less than 500 of the animals surviving in the wild.

“This was a routine procedure that is a vital part of our care and conservation work for tigers,” said Dr. Taylor Yaw, the Minnesota Zoo’s Chief of Animal Care, Health and Conservation. “We plan weeks ahead for these types of exams. All necessary precautions were taken, and the team did everything within their power to save this animal. We’ll continue to learn more in the days and months ahead, and we are grateful for the support of the University of Minnesota’s pathology team for their expertise and support as a necropsy is conducted.”

Putin was born in 2009 in the Czech Republic and lived at the Denmark Zoo for six years before arriving at the Minnesota Zoo in 2015.

The zoo said Putin’s legacy lives on in his multiple cubs, including one born at the Minnesota Zoo in 2017.