Health concerns prompt Hattiesburg Zoo to take tiger Kipling off exhibit
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Hattiesburg Zoo’s Sumatran tiger, Kipling, has been taken off exhibit temporarily, due to some age-related health problems.
Zoo staff says their animal care team is closely monitoring the tiger and running appropriate tests.
Kipling is 16 years old.
Tigers can live up to 20 years in captivity, but zoo staff says the average age is 16 to 18 years.
“He’s off exhibit, probably, hopefully, for just a little while,” said Kristen Moore, animal curator at the Hattiesburg Zoo. “It could be longer than what we really like.
He’s having some age-related issues and he just needs some extra attention from our medical staff right now. We’re running a bunch of tests and just trying to get him back to feeling 100 percent.”
Kipling came to the Hattiesburg Zoo from the Dallas Zoo in 2018. He replaced, Kuasa, another Sumatran tiger, who had been at the Hattiesburg Zoo since 2014.
Kuasa was moved to the Dallas Zoo to take part in a breeding program.
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