Bye bye Barbara

Despite the efforts of animal lovers and zoo keepers to save her, Haifa zoo's elderly tigress was put to sleep last week.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Despite the efforts of animal lovers and zoo keepers to save her, Haifa zoo's elderly tigress was put to sleep last week, reports Yediot Haifa. Zoo management gave the go-ahead to the euthanization of 21-year-old Barbara after the Let the Animals Live organization examined her case and concluded that management was right in wanting to relieve her suffering. According to the report, Barbara, who arrived at the zoo as a perky six-month-old cub more than 20 years ago, had recently begun showing the effects of her extraordinary old age, including blindness, hearing loss, anemia and difficulties in walking and eating. A controversy over the idea of having her euthanized erupted in recent weeks, but it fizzled out quickly after the animal rights organization said the zoo was acting properly. The zoo has now said it will keep her memory alive by having her stuffed and put on display.