Seizure led to death of zoo’s rare Siberian tiger Malyshka
By Matt Roper 3/05/2010
A rare Siberian tiger probably suffered a brain seizure or fit before drowning at a zoo, it was revealed yesterday.
The five-year-old female called Malyshka was found dead by keepers in a pool in her enclosure.
A post mortem confirmed that Malyshka drowned last month, even though she was a strong swimmer and the pool was just two-and-a-half feet deep.
Martin Goymour, director at Banham Zoo near Diss, Norfolk, said a brain seizure or fit was the most likely reason.
He added: “Visitors have been very supportive.”
Malyshka shared the enclosure with her 17-month-old cubs Vasya and Kuzma and her 15-year-old mate Mischa.
There are only 450 Siberian tigers left in the wild and Malyshka, who arrived in Banham from Russia in 2006, was one of the top five breeders in Europe.
