Pandu, one of the Houston Zoo’s two elderly Malayan tigers, was humanely euthanized today after a long life. The decision was made by the tiger’s keepers and veterinary team after the 16-year-old tiger began to become uninterested in food, lethargic, and showing signs of pain. After an extensive medical review, our veterinary and tiger experts decided that the most humane option was to peacefully euthanize him. 
 
 For many years, Pandu received a combination of stem cell therapy and arthroscopic surgery to address orthopedic issues in his right elbow courtesy of Dr. Brian Beale of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists and Michael Coleman, Ph. D. and Jonathan Davis, stem cell specialists with InGeneron, Inc. These treatments greatly added to his quality of life, and gave him the energy to participate in some of his favorite activities – swimming and painting. 
 
 Affectionately called “Professor” by his keepers, Pandu was an extremely vocal cat, so much that the team had to train him to be quite while they were feeding him so that they could hear one another talk. Also one of the zoo’s most requested painters, Pandu had a preference for purple paint and his work can be found hanging in homes around Houston. Pandu was also a frequent participant in the popular tiger training window enrichment exercises. 
 
 “It is never an easy decision to euthanize an animal, but it is one we make with the animal’s well-being as the top priority,” said Sharon Joseph, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo. “With four incredible veterinarians, a complete veterinary clinic and world-class animal keepers, our animals receive the best care possible, and that includes end-of-life decisions. While it’s always exciting to celebrate births at the zoo, we also mourn heavily when one of our animals dies.” 
 
 Malayan tigers are critically endangered with only about 300 remaining in the wild. Pandu is survived by his habitat mate, a 14-year-old female Malayan tiger named Satu. ||||| Poachers have infiltrated the forests of Malaysia and plundered its wildlife, including tigers. Malaysian wildlife is in high demand in Asian markets for use as folk medicine and as a sign of wealth. 
 
 Logging operations and road development pose big threats to Malayan tiger habitats. Conversion of forests to agriculture or commercial plantations results in frequent encounters between tigers and livestock. 
 
 The cost to farmers can be high—livestock loss due to tigers is estimated to have cost more than $400,000 from 1993–2003 in Terengganu, one of the poorest areas in Peninsular Malaysia. In retaliation, tigers are often killed by authorities or angry villagers. Tigers killed as “conflict” animals often end up on the black market, creating a link between human-tiger conflict and poaching. ||||| Rare, aging tiger euthanized at the Houston Zoo 
 
 On Wednesday the Houston Zoo announced that one of its tigers was euthanized due to medical reasons. 
 
 Pandu, one of the zoo’s two elderly Malayan tigers, was 16 years old. He is survived by 14-year-old female Satu, his habitat mate. 
 
 There are only estimated to be 300 or so tigers of Pandu’s kind in the wild remaining. He came to the zoo in 1999 as a youngster. 
 
 Zoo officials said in a statement that Pandu had begun to be lethargic, uninterested in eating, and was showing signs of being in pain. 
 
 According to zoo staff his nickname around the grounds was “Professor," and was also an accomplished painter. 
 
 “Pandu was an extremely vocal cat, so much that the team had to train him to be quiet while they were feeding him so that they could hear one another talk,” zoo spokesperson Jackie Wallace wrote in a statement Wednesday. 
 
 As he aged the tiger was the recipient of both stem cell therapy and arthroscopic surgery (see photos above), courtesy of Dr. Brian Beale of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists and Michael Coleman, Ph. D. and Jonathan Davis. 
 
 "These treatments greatly added to his quality of life, and gave him the energy to participate in some of his favorite activities – swimming and painting," Wallace wrote. 
 
 When an animal member of the zoo family passes on it hits the human staff especially hard. 
 
 “It is never an easy decision to euthanize an animal, but it is one we make with the animal’s well-being as the top priority,” Sharon Joseph, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo, said Wednesday. “With four incredible veterinarians, a complete veterinary clinic and world-class animal keepers, our animals receive the best care possible, and that includes end-of-life decisions.” 
 
 Neema, an 8-year-old Masai giraffe at the Houston Zoo, died May 21 from what the zoo is calling a "short, but aggressive illness." 
 
 Neema fell sick just one week prior and had been under the care of zoo staff. Neema was the mother of one calf, Kamili, which was born in August 2014. 
 
 A grizzly bear named Boomer, who was about 40 years old, was euthanized in late June after a long period of declining health. Chronic arthritis, infections, and a bout with lymphoma had weakened him in recent years. 
 
 "Whenever an animal dies, no matter what the reason, it is a tragic event and our staff mourns the loss of a member of their family. While it's always exciting to celebrate births at the zoo, we also mourn heavily when one of our animals dies," Wallace wrote just after Boomer's death was announced.
– Houston Zoo workers and patrons woke to a world without Pandu today. The 16-year-old Malayan tiger was "humanely euthanized" yesterday due to failing health, said the zoo in a statement. Nicknamed "Professor," the tiger was described as an "extremely vocal cat" who enjoyed a higher quality of life after stem cell therapy and surgery on his elbow in 2012. "These treatments greatly added to his quality of life, and gave him the energy to participate in some of his favorite activities—swimming and painting," per the statement (he apparently had a preference for purple paint). But recently, Pandu appeared to be in pain, lacked an appetite, and was lethargic, and so officials intervened. Pandu had been at the zoo since 1999 and had a 14-year-old female companion named Satu. There are only 300 or so Malayan tigers in the wild, according to the Houston Chronicle, and the species is on the endangered list. The largest threats to the tigers, which are found on the Malay Peninsula and in southern Thailand, are logging and poaching, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The WWF adds this: "Livestock loss due to tigers is estimated to have cost more than $400,000 from 1993-2003 in Terengganu, one of the poorest areas in Peninsular Malaysia. In retaliation, tigers are often killed by authorities or angry villagers." (A new death has brought a rhino species down to its final four.)