SEATTLE — Woodland Park Zoo is mourning the loss of Tasha, a 20-year-old sloth bear that was humanely euthanized following a cancer diagnosis.
The zoo said Tasha was showing signs of rapidly declining health, with a lack of appetite and lethargy. She underwent a diagnostic exam, which revealed a large amount of fluid in her abdomen containing malignant tumor cells.
That indicated she had an advanced form of cancer with “severe systemic effects.”
The difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize her.
Tasha was considered a geriatric bear, since the average life expectancy of a sloth bear living in a zoo is 16 years old. She arrived at the zoo under a breeding recommendation by the Sloth Bear Species Survival Plan.
“Tasha was fierce and beautiful and let everyone know it. She made you work to gain her trust and love, but when she decided you were all right, it was the most rewarding thing on earth. The zoo will not be the same without her. Luckily, she lives on through her many descendants, especially the females as they show her fierceness and strength that she always possessed,” said Katie Graves, a lead animal keeper at Woodland Park Zoo.
Sloth bears live in forests and grasslands in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
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