Tallinn Zoo's Rama the bison dies at the age of 18

Rama the bison, with calf.
Rama the bison, with calf. Source: Inari Leiman/Tallinna loomaaed

The past week has seen the passing of two noteworthy species of animal at Tallinn Zoo, including the death of an 18-year-old European bison.

The European bison, known as Rama, had raised three calves during her life-span, one of which, a female, was relocated to a zoo in Ähtari, Finland in 2018. This female calf in turn has subsequently given birth to three offspring of her own.

A tumor was found to be the cause of Rama's death.

Also known as the wisent, the European Bison is the only other extant bison species, alongside its more well-known North American counterpart. Hunted to extinction in the wild, the species can be found in national parks such as the Białowieża Forest of Poland-Belarus - it is a national symbol of both countries - and of course in zoos and wildlife parks.

Rama's wasn't the only loss the zoo saw this week. A steppe slow worm which had been in the zoo's possession for a whopping 32 years, also died.

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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Kerttu Kaldoja

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