A female Amur tiger has died at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire after sustaining fatal injuries during an attempted introduction to a male counterpart, zoo officials have confirmed. Valentina, an eight-year-old tiger who had lived at the zoo since 2020 after arriving from Hodonín Zoo in the Czech Republic, was killed prior to the zoo’s opening hours. The incident occurred during a carefully monitored introduction to Pasha, a five-year-old male who joined Marwell in February from Port Lympne Safari Park in Kent.
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In a statement issued on social media, the zoo expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the “much-loved and charismatic character of the zoo family who captured the hearts of our teams and guests alike”.
Marwell acknowledged that introductions between big cats are inherently risky, both in captivity and in the wild. The zoo explained that animal care teams had closely observed both tigers following Pasha’s arrival, noting encouraging signs and no visible aggression prior to the attempted pairing.
“Our expert teams were monitoring the situation closely, were well-prepared, and acted swiftly to draw Pasha away,” the statement read. “However, due to the speed and nature of the incident, it was not possible for our highly experienced team to intervene, and Valentina had already been fatally injured.”
Pasha was not seriously harmed in the altercation. Prior to the incident, he had been seen interacting with Valentina through a fence separating their enclosures and was reported to have settled quickly at the zoo.
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Valentina had previously lived with another male tiger, Bagai, who had arrived at Marwell in 2013 from a zoo in Germany. The pair reportedly shared a close bond, often observed grooming, playing, and sleeping side by side. Bagai died in June last year and was remembered fondly by staff as “lovable, goofy and cheeky”.
Valentina’s death has left staff and visitors devastated. Laura Read, chief executive of Marwell Zoo, expressed the organisation’s collective grief: “Our number one priority now is to look after our people and help them through the next few days and weeks.”
She praised the professionalism and swift response of her team in the aftermath of the incident and confirmed that the zoo remains committed to the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) breeding programme for Amur tigers.
Amur tigers, native to the Russian Far East, are the largest of the big cat species and are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 3,000 mature individuals are believed to remain in the wild.
