What a beautiful cat she was.
She lived a wonderful life because of the special care and all the love she received while living at the zoo! Certainly wouldnt have had that out in the wild. And if she was still in the wild how she would have suffered!
Our devoted animal care team had observed and monitored Tajiri for a decrease in appetite—after which, our veterinary team conducted a medical examination under [an.est.he.sia] and determined she had an [ag.gre.ssi.ve] form of [ca.nc.er].
Our Animal Care and Veterinary teams made the difficult and compassionate decision to humanely [eu.tha.ni.ze] her. At 15 years old, she was considered geriatric. The life expectancy of lions in the wild is 10-14 years, and in zoos is 15-20.
Tajiri joined our Philadelphia Zoo family in January 2012, and in her time here welcomed four female cubs with her partner, Makini. She also was one of the first cats in “Big Cat Falls” to use the 20-foot-tall feeding pole, demonstrating her incredible hunting skills to climb to the top, grab her food, and safely leap back down to enjoy her prize.
She was beloved by her caregivers and served as an incredible ambassador for her species for the hundreds of thousands of guests who got to know her. 💕
Y’all do everything to provide an amazing habitat for these animals with the utmost care!
Thank you guys truly and RIP Tajiri 🙏❤️
Please send our love to her keepers ❤🙏🙏
H/t: Philadelphia Zoo
