Raja
Age: 22
Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary is deeply saddened to announce the death of our oldest cat Raja, a 22 year old Bengal tiger.? Raja was suffering from cancer and having lost quality of life, veterinarians and staff made the very difficult decision to humanely euthanize her.
The median life span of tigers in captivity is 20-25, while tigers in the wild only live to be 12-16.
Born in 1992, Raja came to us from a neglectful roadside zoo where we rescued her, her two daughters and her mate Mohan, whom we lost in 2011 due to kidney failure.
Raja was an amazing tiger who loved to lay in big beds of straw, soak in the warm summer sun, and relax in her big pools.? Raja loved smelling new scents and spices and her favorite was Brut!
Raja was taken to the Vet Diagnostic Lab at Mizzou in Columbia where they will complete a thorough necropsy on her to better understand her cause of death. ?She will also participate in a contraception health surveillance program based out of the STL Zoo. This information is part of a world-wide reproductive health monitoring program. ?The information researchers obtain from Raja will be invaluable to our understanding of the natural reproductive functions of these endangered animals and the beneficial and negative effects of contraception in large cats.