Beloved Zoo Atlanta Sumatran tiger dies at 18
Sparky the Sumatran tiger at Zoo Atlanta dies at 18-years-old. (Credit: Zoo Atlanta) (Supplied)
ATLANTA - The Zoo Atlanta family has announced the recent passing of Sparky, the 18-year-old Sumatran tiger that has lived there since 2018.
Sparky was euthanized Wednesday morning after suffering from a fractured tooth and various age-related conditions like renal disease and osteoarthritis. The Animal Care and Veterinary Teams that cared for him said 18-years-old is considered geriatric for a tiger.
"Zoo Atlanta is heartbroken by the loss of Sparky, who was greatly loved by his care team and who inspired awe and fascination in all visitors who had the privilege of seeing him here at the Zoo. Our Animal Care and Veterinary Teams pursued every avenue in his care, even in the face of unresolvable age-related conditions," said Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation. "While losing such a special and beautiful individual is never easy, we are especially disheartened by the loss of such a critically endangered animal."
Sparky was born Apr. 22, 2004. His subspecies is considered one of rarest in the world for tigers. Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are believed to be fewer than 400 in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Sparky leaves behind his mate, Chelsea, the female Sumatran tiger at Zoo Atlanta.
Through a partnership with University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service in the College of Veterinary Medicine, researchers are expected to conduct a necropsy, or autopsy, on Sparky to help further their research on preservation.