Taiga and Cocoa at Kushiro City Zoo, Hokkaido
写真は２０１５年の釧路市動物園のメスのアムールトラのココア
残念ながら２０２５年６月１８日に老衰のため１７歳で死亡しました。
飼育下での平均寿命はだいたい２０歳だそうです。
ココアは１７歳でしたから、長生きしたほうだと思います。
The photograph shows Cocoa, a female Amur tiger photographed at Kushiro City Zoo in 2015.
Sadly, Cocoa passed away on June 18, 2025, at the age of 17 due to old age.
The average lifespan of Amur tigers under human care is said to be around 20 years.
Considering this, Cocoa lived a long and full life, and I believe she was one of the long-lived individuals of her kind.
こちらはオスのタイガで、１歳の時に食事をノドに詰まらせて死亡しています。
２００８年５月２４日に仮死状態で生れた３頭のきょうだいのうち、１頭が死亡し2頭が人工飼育で育ちます。
ただ、問題はこれからで、軟骨形成不全症という両手足が曲がった状態だったそうです。
This is Taiga, a male Amur tiger.
Sadly, Taiga passed away at the age of one after choking on food when it became lodged in his throat.
Taiga was one of three siblings born on May 24, 2008, in a state of apparent suspended animation.
One of the cubs did not survive, while the remaining two were hand-reared by keepers at Kushiro City Zoo.
However, further challenges lay ahead.
Taiga was diagnosed with chondrodysplasia, a condition in which the cartilage does not develop normally, resulting in abnormally curved fore and hind limbs.
後ろ足に障害があり、前足だけで移動する様子はテレビニュースでも流され、でも懸命に生きる姿に国民は感動しました。
この夏に、追悼に行ってきましたが、全国からたくさんのメッセージが壁一面に貼られていました。
釧路市動物園は空港のそばにあるのですが、アクセスするには車が必要で、タクシーもしくはレンタカーでの移動となります。
Because of a disability in his hind legs, Taiga moved using only his front legs.
Footage of him struggling yet persevering was broadcast on national television, and his determined will to live deeply moved people across Japan.
I visited the zoo this summer to pay my respects, and I was struck by the sight of countless messages from all over the country, covering an entire wall in tribute to him.
Kushiro City Zoo is located near the airport.
However, access is limited, and a car is required—visitors typically need to use a taxi or rent a car to reach the zoo.
