x
Breaking News
More () »

Amur tiger dies in 'freak accident' at Colorado zoo

While zookeepers work through the loss, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said it is "focused on preventing this freak accident from happening in the future."
Credit: Toronto Zoo
Mila

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A 2-year-old Amur tiger died at a Colorado zoo after an accidental fall while preparing for dental surgery.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said the tiger, Mila, died Friday in Colorado Springs.

Zookeepers said Mila, who came to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in March from Toronto Zoo, was being prepared for surgery to address a recently discovered and severe dental issue.

While preparing for the surgery, the tiger voluntarily received an injection of initial anesthesia and then she jumped up on a bench where she began to lay down while the drugs took effect. According to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, less than a minute after lying down, Mila slipped off the waist-high bench, causing a fatal spinal injury.

"Given the short timeframe from her lying down to her slipping off, it was impossible from a human safety standpoint to stop her tragic fall," Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said in a news release.

"She could have slid off from that height a hundred times and landed in a variety of other positions and been unaffected," said Dr. Eric Klaphake, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo head veterinarian. "The team quickly entered her den when it was safe and diligently tried for 40 minutes to give her life-saving care."

Credit: Toronto Zoo
Mila

"These are impossible life-and-death decisions being made in real time by a team that has dedicated their life to the care of animals," said Bob Chastain, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo president and CEO. "Do you anesthetize her despite the risks and give her the dental care she needs? Once you see her slipping, you wonder if you can safely get in there to stop a 270-pound tiger from falling completely. How fast can you safely go in and provide rescue attempts?"

"You can plan and plan and things still go wrong," Chastain said. "Our team delivered exactly the right amount of drugs to a very calm tiger who had trained for this moment. We have successfully anesthetized countless tigers in this same den and have never experienced an accident like this. We never take decisions to anesthetize an animal for a procedure lightly, and this is a tragic example of why."

The Colorado Springs zoo said it is focused on preventing any similar accident from happening in the future.

Mila is the second female Amur tiger to pass away at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in recent years. In March 2021, a 9-year-old female Amur tiger, Savelli, died due to complications during her recovery from an artificial insemination procedure.

According to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Amur tigers are on the brink of extinction, with only 500 remaining in the wild and 100 in zoos and aquariums.

Mila moved to Colorado Springs in March after showing signs she was ready for her own space, away from her mother at Toronto Zoo. She came to Colorado Springs on a future breeding recommendation. Because Amur tigers are solitary animals, Mila never met Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's male tiger, Chewy.

"Watching Mila transform from a playful and curious young cub to an independent and often feisty young adult was an incredible experience for me, the zoo team and the Toronto community," said Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf DeJong. "She will be deeply missed by all, and while we feel certain the connections she made with guests will stay with them for a lifetime and were an inspiration to get involved in the fight to save this endangered species in the wild, we are deeply saddened by her loss."

"We feel a huge responsibility for all of the animals in our care, and we especially feel for Mila, her current and past caretakers and the people in Toronto who loved her from her birth as the only survivor in her litter," Chastain said. "Not only was she an internationally beloved individual who defied the odds as a cub and survived to adulthood, but she was here on a mission to save her own species."

Credit: Toronto Zoo
Mila
Credit: Toronto Zoo
Mila

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Animals and Wildlife

9NEWS+ 

Watch more from 9NEWS on the free 9NEWS+ app for Roku and Fire TV.

9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.

To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.

To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.

RELATED: Watch 9NEWS for free on ROKU, Apple TV, Fire TV

Before You Leave, Check This Out