Mai, the famous three-legged tiger at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, has died.
The 20-year-old, female Malayan tiger was under veterinary care for renal disease this past year, but was humanely euthanized Wednesday morning. Animal Care Staff completed a series of life assessments before making the decision to put the animal down.
In order to reduce the effects of renal disease, Mai had been fed a special diet developed by the Comparative Nutrition Department.
"In addition to dealing with advancing renal disease, this cat recently started to exhibit signs of dementia, indicating that her condition was starting to deteriorate," said Dr. Julie Napier, the Zoo's senior veterinarian. "During her time at the Zoo, despite only having three legs, she successfully raised three litters of cubs, making a great contribution to this endangered population."
Mai came to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in 2003 and was on display in the Cat Complex. She was missing one of her front legs due to an amputation prior to arriving at the zoo.
While at the zoo, Mai had a total of eight cubs from three litters in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
In celebration of Mai, people can symbolically adopt a Malayan tiger on the Omaha Zoo Foundation's website at www.OmahaZooFoundation.com.
Proceeds from this month's donations will go to the Zoo's tiger conservation and research efforts.
