A Midwest Zoo Tiger Just Died – His Name Was Putin

It's sad news to pass along from a Midwestern zoo that has an ironic twist. A male tiger just died of cardiac failure while undergoing a procedure. His name was Putin.

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Earlier today, the Minnesota Zoo shared news on their Facebook page and in a press release of the sad passing of this 12-year-old Amur tiger. Yes, his name was Putin. The tiger came to the zoo back in 2015 from Europe.

The Minnesota Zoo has become known for their success in breeding these rare tigers in an attempt to stave off the declining worldwide population. While they estimate there are 1,000 of these tigers in zoo populations, less than 500 remain in the wild.

While Putin was a resident of the Minnesota Zoo for the past 7 years, there aren't many videos that captured him in his element. I believe this may very well be him letting out one of his dominant roars from a few years ago.

Because of the fact that he shared a name with a certain world leader who's in the news for all the wrong reasons right now, this tiger's passing has been covered by many national sites including Yahoo Sports.

You can check out the official press release from the zoo for more history of Putin...the tiger.