ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta has announced that one of its beloved tigers has passed away.
Sparky, an 18-year-old Sumatran tiger, was considered geriatric for a tiger and had to be euthanized.
Zoo officials say he had several age-related conditions, including renal disease and osteoarthritis. Sparky also recently broke a tooth, which is typically repairable, but the pain and difficult recovery process saw a continued decline in his health.
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Sparky was born in 2004 and joined the Zoo Atlanta family in 2018. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums wanted to pair him with Chelsea, the female Sumatran tiger living at Zoo Atlanta.
Chelsea, who is also considered geriatric at 19-years-old, lived separately from Sparky because tigers are solitary in the wild, according to the zoo.
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“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.”
The University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service in the College of Veterinary Medicine will conduct a necropsy on Sparky.
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