St. Louis Zoo’s oldest female Amur tiger euthanized after years of treatment for degenerate joint disease

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    ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — Kalista, an Amur tiger, has died at the St. Louis Zoo.

According to the zoo, Kalista was euthanized on March 27 at her Big Cat Country habitat. Zoo officials said Kalista had been receiving treatment for age-related degenerate joint disease for several years and when the treatments were not sufficient to keep her comfortable and pain free, care givers decided that euthanasia was the most humane option.

Kalista gave birth to a rare litter of five cubs in 2008 and another cub in 2012. Before her death, Kalista was the oldest living female Amur tiger in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums North American Species Survival Plan Program.

Kalista was 19 years and 10 months old at the time of her death. According to the zoo, the average life span for a female Amur tiger is 14.3 years.

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