Most animals don’t live as long as humans, but some still manage to have impressively long lives, surpassing expectations.
And a lucky few can even count themselves as the oldest of their species in the whole world. Like one beautiful tiger, who is still going strong at 25 — and just earned the official title of the oldest tiger in the world.
Bengali is a tiger who has lived at the Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Tyler, Texas since 2000. She’s 25, and will turn 26 next month on August 31.
Her age far surpasses the normal lifespan of a tiger — the species typically only lives about 12 years in the wild and 15-20 in captivity.
And this week, the Guinness World Records officially announced that Bengali set the record as world’s “oldest the oldest living tiger in captivity.”
“We are extremely honored and very proud to know we have the oldest living tiger in captivity,” personnel at Tiger Creek told Guinness. “We care deeply for every animal at Tiger Creek, and keeping Bengali healthy and happy for so many years is an incredible accomplishment for the sanctuary, our staff, and of course, our Bengali.”
The Bengal tiger is an endangered species, with a declining population in the wild caused by poaching and habitat loss.
But staff at the animal sanctuary are dedicated to protecting these magnificent animals, and Bengali’s record-breaking lifespan is a testament to the best care they are given.
“The staff here provide meals to Bengali on a silver platter! Well, it’s stainless steel, but it’s silver in color anyway,” they said. “She never goes hungry and never has to worry about where her next meal may come from.”
The staff said that while Bengali was shy at first, she’s warmed up to her surroundings and is now living her best life.
As she gets older, the staff make sure to celebrate each birthday in style. According to Guinness, the gave her a keg to play with on her 21st birthday.
“Bengali, along with all of the other residents at Tiger Creek, have constant access to fresh, clean water, spacious yards that are open to the sun and breeze with lots of shade trees, platforms to climb on and play under, pools to take a refreshing dip in during the summer months, logs to scratch her claws on, and all sorts of toys to play with.”
Congratulations to Bengali and all the people who care for her on this incredible world record!
We’ll be wishing her a very happy 26th birthday next month, and many great more years to come!
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