Winchester, U.K. – A “much-loved” female tiger at Marwell Wildlife died after sustaining fatal injuries during her introduction with a male tiger named Pasha. The zoo made the sad announcement to Facebook followers on Monday, writing:
It is with deep sadness we share the news of the death of our female Amur tiger, Valentina. Unfortunately, Valentina sustained fatal injuries during an introduction with our male tiger, Pasha.
Valentina was a much-loved and charismatic character of the zoo family, who captured the hearts of our teams and guests alike.
Explaining how the eight-year-old tiger was killed in a quick altercation with Pasha:
Introducing big cats always carries significant risk both in zoos and in the wild. Since Pasha’s arrival in February, our animal teams have been observing both tigers closely and had noticed encouraging behaviours with no signs of aggression. Our expert teams were monitoring the situation closely, were well-prepared, and acted swiftly to draw Pasha away. However, due to the speed and nature of the incident, it was not possible for our highly-experienced team to intervene and Valentina had already been fatally injured. Pasha was not severely injured during the altercation.
Staff is grieving the loss of the beloved tiger, Marwell Wildlife said:
She will be deeply missed by her keepers, who formed a strong bond with her, our veterinary team, wider Marwell teams and our guests.
We do ask at this difficult time that our teams are given the necessary time to process this situation. Our priority is the wellbeing of our teams and ensuring Pasha receives the care he needs.
Rest in peace Valentine.
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