It is with deep sadness the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo announces the passing of Rani, the Bengal Tiger.

Like her brother Rajah, who recently passed, Rani came to the zoo as just a small tiger cub, immediately capturing the hearts of guests and keepers alike. Rani was 19 years old, which is a similar equivalent to a 90–95-year-old human.

As she aged, Rani was under the close supervision of her keeper and veterinarian care teams. Rani was mostly blind, hard of hearing, and was recently determined to have renal failure.

Unfortunately, her condition worsened, and her quality of life became compromised. Thus, the best course of action for Rani was to humanely say goodbye.

“Rani came to us as a little cub and lived at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo her entire life. The staff caring for her describe her as sassy, full of attitude, and were honored to take care of her,” said Joel Hamilton, Executive Director. “Her presence at the Zoo not only brought joy to the staff and our guests but helped educate our guests of how important it is to take care of wildlife and preserve our planet.”

Rani will live on in the hearts of our staff and all those who admired her. Rani loved to destroy boxes, sit in her water tub, and tease her brother.

Sometimes she would even aggravate Rajah while he was sleeping and then act innocent when he woke up. She was a character, and her
antics will be missed.

The Bengal tiger is considered endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. The loss of habitat and prey, caused by human expansion, poaching and illegal wildlife trade are the largest threats to tigers in the wild.