Paignton Zoo has announced today that Sumatran Tiger Fabi was put to sleep yesterday due to illness.
Fabi has been at Paignton Zoo since 2015 where he was paired with Shakira, they had 3 cubs, 2 sadly passed away shortly after birth. These were the first tiger cubs born at Paignton Zoo since 2009.
Fabi was previously at Chester Zoo, where he moved from Prague Zoo in 2009. He had fathered seven cubs with Chester’s resident female, Kirana – who was born at Paignton Zoo in 2006.
A spokesperson for Paignton Zoo said on social media: “It is with great sadness that we share with you the passing of our much-loved male Sumatran tiger, Fabi.
“At over 13 years of age, Fabi was getting on for a large cat and was receiving medication from our expert veterinary team. After struggling more with his movement and gait, the difficult decision was made to put him to sleep peacefully yesterday.
“Born at Prague Zoo in 2007, Fabi spent many years at Chester Zoo before moving to Paignton in 2015 as part of the European Endangered Species breeding programme. He was paired with mate Shakira, and the pair went on to have son Lucu in 2016, who is also a very important part of the breeding programme for this Critically Endangered species.
“Fabi was a beautiful, confident big cat who was always more than happy to take the back seat with his relaxed nature, and let mate Shakira ‘wear the trousers’ in the relationship. He would also love soaking up the sun in the summer months and was a very vocal tiger, often making the ‘chuff’ sound.
“His passing is a huge loss to the big cat keepers and our wider zoo family – he will be deeply missed by many.”
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