Overview
- Zoo caregivers observed weeks of progressive lameness after a knee injury, and the team made the decision in early September when his condition failed to improve.
- Officials reported X-rays showing painful calcifications in both knees and bloodwork indicating early kidney insufficiency.
- Staff noted a clear decline in well-being, including refusal to eat, lack of play, and signs of withdrawal.
- The tigress Karis has been repeatedly searching the enclosure for Tebo, according to a zoo spokeswoman.
- Tebo, born in 2009 and at Heidelberg since 2015, helped raise five cubs and displayed unusually active paternal care for a Sumatran tiger.