A Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium lost his battle with kidney disease and lymphoma Tuesday morning.
Veterinarians euthanized Bali, 141/2, after more than two years of working to stop his cancer and slow his chronic kidney disease.
Head veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf said the efforts gave the 265-pound tiger additional quality time.
Bali went through chemotherapy and was given many other medications, but he became increasingly ill in recent weeks, Wolf said.
“His quality of life was severely compromised,” she said. “He was not eating and became very lethargic.”
The cat’s lifespan was longer than that of a Sumatran tiger in the wild, which is an estimated at 10 to 12 years.
Bali is survived by his mate, Jaya. He fathered two cubs at Point Defiance, Bima, who is at the zoo, and Mali, who died in July 2011 after surgery.
He came to the zoo in 2009 to mate with Jaya, and fathered the two cubs in 2010. Before that, he sired three other cubs at the San Francisco zoo.
Point Defiance now has four Sumatran tigers: Jaya, Malosi, Bima and 3-month-old Dumai. It also has 3-month-old Malayan tiger Berani.
There are 71 of the critically endangered Sumatran tigers in North American zoos, and an estimated 300 live in the wild, statistics show.
Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
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