One of the three Amur tiger cubs born in Helsinki's Korkeasaari zoo last August has died, the zoo announced on Tuesday.
The male cub 'Oboi' contracted peritonitis, which is inflammation that occurs in the abdomen. In Oboi's case, the inflammation was caused by a sharp bone fragment ingested with his food.
Zookepers realised he had fallen ill over the weekend, after noticing that the cub was in pain. The infection was however too extensive and could no longer be treated so, the cub had to be put down.
"Such a sharp bone was a really unfortunate coincidence, and this has never happened to our cat animals before," Korkeasaari veterinarian Sanna Sainmaa said in a zoo statement.
Since Sunday, the tigress mother has been observed calling for her missing cub. Meanwhile the other cubs do not seem to have been affected by their sibling's departure, according to the release.
"Although the mood at Korkeasaari is sombre, the good news is that the symptoms were not caused by a contagious disease, as feared," the statement reads.
Korkeasaari zoo hosts Amur tigers as part of a joint conservation programme among European zoos to maintain the species' population. Amur tigers in zoos have a more diverse genetic make-up than wild tigers. Conservation efforts have so far proven fruitful, having increased the population from 40 in the 1940s to some 500 tigers today.
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