Leipzig Zoo Provided Care for Three Growing Tiger Cubs, Encouraging Deep Slumber - Zoological Park Leipzig euthanizes three young tigers
The Leipzig Zoo has made the difficult decision to euthanize three Amur tiger cubs, born on a Wednesday evening, after their mother, an inexperienced tigress named Yushka, refused to care for them.
In the following days, the cubs became weak and chilled due to the lack of maternal care and nourishment. The zoo's veterinarians made the heart-wrenching decision to euthanize the cubs to prevent them from suffering from starvation.
Hand-rearing the cubs was not a viable option for species-appropriate wild animal husbandry. The zoo prioritizes the welfare of its animals and adheres to strict guidelines for wildlife keeping.
Yushka, who is expected to make a natural contribution to the survival of the species in the future, according to zoo director Junhold, will be given another opportunity to raise offspring naturally in the future.
The zoo remains committed to breeding with Yushka, despite this unfortunate incident. They believe that her genes could play a significant role in the survival of the Amur tiger population. However, they emphasize a scientific approach to breeding, focusing on natural maternal care, and reject human intervention to avoid producing "misprints" in the animals.
Veterinarian Andreas Bernhard stated that, at this point, the cubs were spared from suffering by being euthanized. The Leipzig Zoo expresses its deepest condolences to those who were touched by the cubs during their short lives.
[1] Hand-rearing not an option for species-appropriate wildlife keeping [2] Decision to euthanize made by Leipzig Zoo [3] Euthanizing necessary to spare cubs from suffering [4] Cubs not able to be hand-reared due to considerations of species-appropriate wildlife keeping [5] Cubs were Amur tigers [6] Mother tiger was still inexperienced [7] Mother tiger did not care for the cubs [8] Euthanizing done to prevent further suffering [9] Cubs euthanized a few days after birth [10] Mother tiger, Yushka, turned away from her offspring a few hours after birth [11] Zoo will continue to try to breed with the Amur tiger Yushka [12] Veterinarian Andreas Bernhard explained that, at this point, the cubs were spared from suffering by starvation.
The Leipzig Zoo's vet, Andreas Bernhard, articulated that euthanizing the Amur tiger cubs was necessary to spare them from the imminent suffering of starvation, as hand-rearing was not a viable option for these wild animals due to considerations of species-appropriate welfare. Despite the loss of the cubs, the zoo remains committed to breeding with the inexperienced Amur tiger mother, Yushka, in the future, taking a scientific approach to health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and wildlife care, focusing on natural maternal care to propagate a healthier Amur tiger population.
