One of the World's Oldest Tigers Has Died

Nineteen-year-old Machli passed away in a wildlife park in India, saddening her many fans.

By Brian Clark Howard

PUBLISHED AUGUST 19, 2016

A tiger of unusually advanced age—19—died Thursday at a park in India, prompting an outpouring of support from the public.

The tigress, named Machli, had been the star attraction at Ranthambore National Park, a popular tourist destination in north-west India. She was one of the country's most famous tigers and has appeared in several wildlife documentaries (learn more about tigers there). Machli—whose name is the Hindi word for fish, due to fish-like markings on her face—was even sometimes known as the “Queen of Ranthambore,” in part because of her famous battle with a crocodile there, says Krithi Karanth, a National Geographic Explorer who studies tigers and other wildlife in India

Machli (also written as Machali or Machhli) reportedly died of old age. She had stopped eating or moving for about a week before her death.

Tigers in the wild usually only live 12 to 14 years, says Karanth, who saw Machli at her home in Ranthambore years ago. But the tigress lived to such an old age thanks to care by forest officials.

The famous tiger brought in a reported $10 million to the park every year, but Karanth says it's important not to get too distracted by individual animals. Tigers remain critically threatened in the wild, she says.

Read on