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