Tallinn Zoo’s 22-year-old Amur leopard Darla dies

ERR reports that Darla, a 22-year-old Amur leopard, died at Tallinn Zoo on Tuesday.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that the time has come to say goodbye to our outstanding Amur leopard Darla, who had already become a legend during her lifetime,” the zoo said. Darla died on Tuesday morning.

Darla was born at Berlin Zoo on April 17, 2004, and had lived in Tallinn since late November 2005. Between 2008 and 2014, she raised five litters, producing a total of 12 leopard cubs.

“Young Darla proved to be a very caring and good mother while raising her first litter,” the zoo said.

Darla and her partner, Freddi, made a significant contribution to increasing the captive population of the endangered leopard subspecies. More than 60 descendants of Darla and Freddi live in zoos around the world, according to the zoo.

Darla had chronic kidney failure and had lost considerable weight in recent months. She moved less in her enclosure and liked to lie in the shade or in the sun’s warmth on a high platform, watching her surroundings and dozing. The zoo said she still had good teeth and remained lively in old age, repeatedly catching and eating two crows.

For big cats, living beyond 20 is already a very advanced age. Freddi, Darla’s longtime partner and the father of her cubs, was born at Tallinn Zoo and died in 2016 at the age of 21.