PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria Park District officials have announced one of Peoria Zoo’s female tigers, Sasha, was transferred Thursday to the Louisville Zoo.
The transfer was recommended in the 2019 Amur Tiger Species Survival Plan, according to the Park District.
Sasha was born at Peoria Zoo in 2012, weighing just 5.75 pounds. Before she was transferred, she weighed in at 311 pounds.
“Sasha was born here and has been a staff favorite ever since. We are all going to miss her very much. However, Peoria Zoo is committed to species conservation, and we are proud that this SSP collaboration will help to ensure that we will have Amur tigers for generations to come,” said Dawn Petefish, Collections Curator.
According to zoo officials, there may be fewer than 3,200 individual tigers left in the wild. For Amur Tigers, there may be 500 or less in the wild.
