Just like family: Assiniboine Park Zoo mourns loss of beloved tiger

Zoo officials in Winnipeg are mourning the death of Kendra, a tigereuthanized Monday after she developed severe age-related arthritis.

"When the time comes to put down an animal it's always a difficult choice and it's a sad one for all of us," saidDr. Chris Enright, head of veterinary services for the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

"We develop relationships with those animals and just like a dog or cat at home, they become a part of our extended family."

• Assiniboine Park Zoo euthanizes 'matriarch' tiger Kendra

The large 18-year-old cat started showing signs of the age-related disease about a year-and-a-half ago, Enright said.

Amurtigers like Kendra tend to live longer in captivity between 16 and 22 years than in the wild, where theirlifespanis 10 to 15 years.

Enright said she showed obvious signs she was struggling her joints were stiff and shestopped moving with her usual ease.

"In a geriatric tiger, something like that is not unexpected, just like with people or even dogs and cats," the veterinarian said.

Kendra was given anti-inflammatory drugsand painkillers to manage the arthritis but eventually her condition worsened beyond help, said Enright.

"At some point it started getting beyond what we could control with medication."

Kendra, one of four tigers at the zoo,was particularly friendly and enjoyed greeting bothvisitors to the zoo and her handlers, said Enright.

"She's really one of the most personable tigers I've ever worked with," he said.

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Kendra was born at the St. Louis Zoo in March 1999 and gave birth to two tigers in WinnipegSarma and Reka in July 2011.

Reka died in August 2012, while Sarmanow lives at the Cherry Brook Zoo in Saint John, N.B.

After a detailed analysis of her remains, Enright said Kendra will be cremated.