Marwell Zoo reveals cause of Pasha the tiger’s death following post-mortem
The cause of a tiger’s death has been revealed
A post-mortem has revealed the cause of death of a tiger that was tragically euthanised after developing an ‘acute illness’.
Pasha - the Amur tiger - arrived at Marwell Zoo in March 2025, as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex-situ Breeding Programme (EEP) for the endangered species.
After days of being unwell, the vet team said they had to euthanise the seven-year-old tiger as treatment was ineffective.
The zoo has now provided a further update following a post-mortem that has revealed Pasha’s cause of was a large 18cm gastric impaction made up of meat, hair and grass. Principal zoo veterinarian, Elyse Summerfield-Smith, said this impaction caused a blockage that caused Pasha’s rapid deterioration.
She added: “We know that Pasha meant a lot to you, just as he did to his keepers and we hope this update helps you understand a little bit about his final illness.
“The team noticed he was lethargic, a bit dehydrated and wasn’t interacting with them in the usual way so they immediately contacted the veterinary team. When we examined Pasha, he appeared dehydrated and uncomfortable so we provided pain relief and anti-sickness.
“Depsite intensive treatment and close monitoring, we were never able to get Pasha fully comfortable and it became clear that his condition was deteriorating, and it was not fair to continue his treatment any longer - Although euthanasia is never an easy decision, in the case of Pasha, it was the kindest.”
Since Pasha’s devastating death, Marwell has been temporarily without tigers, but has recently welcomed Luca from The Big Cat Sanctuary, where he will be staying for approximately six months while improvement works are carried out at his home.