Tragedy of animal deaths hits park

Sumatran tigers were the stars of the animal park

Staff and visitors to a Cumbrian zoo are mourning the death of three animals in less than a week.

Two Sumatran tigers and a kangaroo called Poppy have all died suddenly at the South Lakes wild animal park in Dalton-in-Furness.

Owner David Gill is distraught after he held zoo favourite, tiger Toba's head in his arms as the zoo vets put her to sleep.

Post mortem examinations have been carried out on all the animals in an effort to discover the cause of death.

Poppy the kangaroo has also died at the park

Mr Gill said Toba, 13, was the zoo's first tiger and she was the catalyst in making the animal park one of Cumbria's most successful tourist attractions.

He said: "Lots of tears were shed.

"A lot of people don't realise how hard it is to be in charge because this is something I have to live with.

"I had two different vets from different practices with me and a full investigative post mortem is being carried out."

Mr Gill said he noticed a change in Toba in June and initially thought swelling in her belly was a sign that she was pregnant.

Animal collapsed

But the animal stopped eating for 14 days and when vets carried out an ultrasound scan they discovered a mammary tumour and a tumour in her liver and kidneys.

The death of the second Sumatran tiger, Sly, dumbfounded zoo staff, who had no idea he had any health problems.

The animal collapsed one night by the enclosure fence and the following morning was dead.

A post mortem examination is also being carried out on the 12-year-old tiger, whose twin Bastoni, remains the only Sumatran tiger at the zoo.