An endangered Amur tiger died Friday in a “freak accident” at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, officials say.
“She could have slid off from that height a hundred times & landed in a variety of other positions and been unaffected,” CMZoo veterinarian. “The team quickly entered her den when it was safe & diligently tried for 40 mins to give her life-saving care.”https://t.co/dmaaD2dBjV
— Carly Moore | CMoore News® (@CMoore_News) August 30, 2023
The two-year-old female tiger named Mila, who had severe dental issues that were beginning to affect her sinuses, suffered a fatal spinal injury after slipping on a bench while under anesthetic drugs for her dental surgery, according to CMZoo’s official website.
“She could have slid off from that height a hundred times and landed in a variety of other positions and been unaffected,” CMZoo Head Veterinarian Dr. Eric Klaphake said. “The team quickly entered her den where it was safe and diligently tried for 40 minutes to give her life-saving care.” (RELATED: REPORT: Zoo Manatee Dies In Gay Incest Accident)
Mila was transferred to CMZoo in March 2023 away from her mother at Toronto Zoo because she appeared to be prepared for independence like most adult Amur tigers, which are solitary animals. There, zoo employees discovered Mila’s dental condition, which required extensive care, the website reported.
“These are impossible life-and-death decisions being made in real time by a team that has dedicated their life to the care of animals,” CMZoo President and CEO Bob Chastain said, describing Amur tigers as “highly endangered” and paying tribute to Mila’s “often feisty” personality.
“Do you anesthetize her despite the risks and give her the dental care she needs?” Chastain added. “Once you see her slipping, you wonder if you can safely get in there to stop a 270-pound tiger from falling completely. How fast can you safely go in and provide rescue attempts?”
CMZoo says it hopes to prevent this “freak accident” from occurring again. Mila was the second Amur tiger to pass away at the zoo. Savelii, the first Amur tiger to die in 2021, succumbed to complications while recovering from an artificial insemination procedure, according to the zoo.