In late June, Janina began leaving food from her daily diet. It wasn't unusual for Janina to leave a pound of food here or there, so we monitored her closely for any other changes. She was going outside, swimming in her pool, enjoying her platform, and chuffing at us - her behavior seemed completely normal. Perhaps her appetite was low because she was in heat or due to the extremely high summer temps or humidity. We started leaving food down in a pan for Janina overnight in case she found it more appealing to eat during cooler hours of the evening. At first it seemed like this helped Janina increase her consumption, but with time her eating began to fluctuate again. We decided that it was time to sedate Janina for further testing, and we discovered that Janina's liver was failing. Sadly, there is nothing that can be done for a tiger with liver failure, and we didn't want to watch Janina waste away as her body failed her. On Tuesday, July 5, 2016, we made the devastating decision to help her pass away. Our necropsy confirmed that Janina's liver and lymphnodes were ridden with cancer, and the cancer had started to spread to her lungs. Although the comfort seems fleeting in light of the pain, it was nice to know we had made the right decision.
Janina was rescued from a private owner in the state of Missouri that was being heavily fined for neglecting his exotic animals. When we arrived to save Janina it was a depressing scene - the tigers had no clean water, no enrichment, sparse bedding and piles of feces surrounded the cage. Despite Janina's terrible start to life, she was friendly, loving, and trusting of us from the first day we met her. I think that she knew we were rescuing her, and I believe that she was grateful for that. Janina will be remembered for her chuffy personality and love of a good enrichment box.
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