Oregon Zoo Says Goodbye To Mikhail, Beloved 19-Year-Old Tiger

PORTLAND, OR – Mikhail, an Amur tiger who lived at the Oregon Zoo, died Tuesday. He was 19-years old.

The zoo announced that "Mik" – as he was known – was humanely euthanized after a significant decline in health because of his advanced age. Amur tigers typically live between 10 and 15 years in the while and the median lifespan for tigers in the zoo is 16 years.

Mik would have turned 20 on Halloween.

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"As old as he was, we knew, realistically, that this day would be coming," Amy Cutting, who oversees the zoo’s Amur cat area, said. "But even when you think you’re prepared for it, you never really are. "Until recently, Mik was so playful and active you could easily think he was a much younger cat.

"That's a huge testament to the care he received here. I couldn't be prouder of our keeper staff for everything they did to ensure he had a good life right up to the end."

Two years ago, in an effort to keep him in sape, Mik's caregivers taught him to "play soccer" – chasing and batting a ball around the moat surrounding his habitat.

He was born Oct. 31, 1998 at the John Ball Zoological Garden in Grand Rapids, MI. and moved to the Oregon Zoo almost two years later. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says that Mik was the oldest Amur tiger in any facility accredited by them.

Mik was also considered to be one of the oldest on the planet.

There are believed to be only around 500 Amur tigers left in their natural habitat – along the Amur River in southeast Russia.

Mik's death is particularly hard for the staff that cares for the Amur cats at the zoo.

Just over two weeks ago, they had to say goodbye to Borris, one of their Amur leopards.

Photo and video courtesy Oregon Zoo.