INDIANAPOLIS — The third tiger cub died over the weekend at the Indianapolis Zoo.
Helina, along with her siblings Roman and Nicholas, were born with a congenital defect that caused health concerns. Roman died in September 2022, while Nicholas died in December 2022.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of tiger cub Helina. She had been suffering from the same liver defect that claimed the lives of her two siblings. The decision was made to humanely euthanize her when her condition rapidly deteriorated over the weekend," the zoo posted on social media Monday afternoon.
The Amur tiger cubs were born May 27 to 7-year-old Zoya. Two of the cubs were born via cesarean section. While Nicolas was named for one of the veterinary surgeons who assisted in the cubs' birth, Roman and Helina were named by the public in a contest the zoo held in July.
According to the zoo, the Amur tiger cubs' birth was extremely important, as there are fewer than 100 Amur tigers in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo said Amur tigers in the wild have lost almost 95% of their territories.
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