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Stuttgart (AP) - Almost exactly two months before her 21st birthday, Sumatran tigress Dumai died very old on Friday in the Wilhelma in Stuttgart.
"Dumai's age could be compared to a centenarian by human standards," said director Thomas Kölpin.
With her offspring, Dumai has contributed to the survival of the threatened big cats several times and as an ambassador of their species has been a figurehead for the protection of species.
According to the zoo, there is only one Sumatran tigress in the world who is older than Dumai.
In nature they can reach up to 15 years, in zoos they rarely exceed 18 years.
Now, according to Kölpin, it should be clarified whether Dumai's body will be preserved for posterity in a natural history museum and whether her organs can be useful for research.
Dumai moved into the zoological-botanical garden from the Dudley Zoo in Great Britain in 2001. She harmonized very well with the tomcat Tuan, who had come to Stuttgart from Lisbon, and in 2005 brought their two young animals together in front of the eyes instead of the security of the litter box Wilhelma guests in the outdoor area to the world.
With Carlos from the Wuppertal Zoo, Dumai had triplets in 2007 who later found their new home in Spain, France and Sweden.
Carlos died unexpectedly in 2015, from then on Dumai resided alone.
Her previous domicile is now being converted for other cats, according to Kölpin.
For the continuation of the traditional tiger keeping, a 4000 square meter landscaped enclosure is being planned, which is to be built in the area of the new Asian facilities by 2023.
"Then Siberian tigers, the largest subspecies of the tiger, will move in there," said Kölpin.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210219-99-509964 / 2
Wilhelma
WWF Species Lexicon on Sumatran Tiger
Details about Sumatran tigers