Cameron Park Zoo mourns loss of beloved elephant and tiger
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Cameron Park Zoo lost two of its beloved animals Thursday, officials said.
Tembo, an African elephant, and Maharani, a Sumatran tiger, both died on the same day. Zoo staff and volunteers are grieving the losses, according to officials.
Tembo made Waco her home for almost 50 years after arriving as a young rescue in 1978, the zoo reported. She moved to Cameron Park Zoo in 1993, where she spent her final decades.
The elephant celebrated her 49th birthday this past July 4 — a date zoo staff picked to honor the bicentennial year when she first arrived, officials said. Tembo died Thursday evening, and veterinarians will perform a full examination to determine the cause.
Over the years, generations of visitors got to know Tembo through her gentle nature, curiosity and love of painting, according to the zoo. She became an important ambassador for elephant conservation.
Earlier Thursday, veterinarians made the decision to euthanize Maharani after her health had been declining, zoo officials said.
The 19-year-old tiger was dealing with vision problems that turned out to be neurological rather than simple cataracts, according to veterinarians. If left untreated, she would have eventually suffered paralysis in her back legs along with blindness.
“With her quality of life in mind, the humane decision was made to let her go peacefully,” officials said.
Maharani was born in 2006 and came to the zoo from Washington D.C.’s National Zoo. She had two litters with her companion, Kucing, and was the zoo’s oldest Sumatran tiger, officials confirmed.
Staff knew her for her fierce spirit and enthusiasm for tearing apart the enrichment boxes they gave her, according to the zoo.
Both animals received dedicated care from their teams and the zoo’s veterinarian right up until the end.
“The health and well-being of all animals remain our highest priority, and both animals received comprehensive, attentive care from their care givers and the zoo’s veterinarian until the end of their lives,” officials said.
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