The zoo is mourning Nurejev, Hellabrunn's stately tiger. Nurejev had to be put to sleep yesterday (March 14th) at the age of 17.

The tiger was advanced in years with reduced mobility and for a long time had been very sedate. Since last autumn Nurejev showed signs of mobility issues and was increasingly unsteady on his feet. From that point on he received intensive treatment including special food, supplements and pain medication. Despite intensive care his appetite diminished considerably in the last few weeks and he became increasingly lethargic. Vets and zookeepers observed an animal that was clearly in pain for days on end.

Hellabrunn's specialist team reached the decision yesterday to put the tiger to sleep and to put him out of his misery. Nurejev was born in Helsinki in 1996 and came to Munich from Zürich in spring 2010. His mate Leila died at the age of 18 on 3 November 2011.

"With Nurejev's passing Hellabrunn has lost its last tiger. At the moment we are looking round Europe for young tigers through the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) and hope to be able to have these attractive big cats on display again this summer," said zoo director, Dr. Andreas Knieriem.

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