Perth Zoo has farewelled its last remaining tiger, Jaya, after the rare Sumatran big cat lost his fight against cancer.

The 17-year-old was euthanised this week after keepers noticed he was acting “abnormally” and rushed him to the zoo’s veterinary hospital.

Jaya had defied the odds for seven years after being diagnosed with an aggressive thyroid tumour in 2018. At the time, vets gave him just nine months to live.

But this week, a physical exam revealed his condition had deteriorated beyond recovery. Zoo officials made the heartbreaking call to put him down “in the interests of his welfare and dignity”.

“After a physical exam, it was apparent that he could no longer experience an acceptable quality of life,” a post on the zoo’s social media read.

Born at Perth Zoo in 2008 as part of

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