‘World’s oldest’ captive male Sumatran tiger dies at Edinburgh Zoo

The ‘world’s oldest’ captive male Sumatran tiger has died aged 16, Edinburgh Zoo has announced.

Jambi had been suffering from age-related health issues and was ‘put to sleep’ so that he no longer suffered, staff said.

He moved to Scotland in 2015, having previously been a resident of Berlin Zoo.

A spokesperson for the Edinburgh Zoo said: ‘Jambi was well-loved by keepers who describe him as very laid-back for a tiger.

‘He enjoyed relaxing in his hammock and looking out from the top of the Tiger Tracks habitat across the rest of the zoo.’

They added that everyone was ‘saddened’ by Jambi’s death.

Only one Sumatran tiger is now housed at the zoo, a two-year-old female named Dharma who arrived from Fota Wildlife Park last month.

According to a worldwide data base used by the zoo, Jambi is the oldest male of his kind in captivity – although not every enclosure records its animals with the system.

Life expectancy for Sumatran tigers is thought to be around 15 to 20 years in the wild, and up to 25 years in captivity.

Jambi’s death follows that of his mate Baginda, who died at the zoo in December 2017.