Tiger dies unexpectedly at Minnesota Zoo

Updated: 7:45 p.m. | Posted: 5:15 p.m.

Nadya, an Amur tiger living at the Minnesota Zoo, died unexpectedly over the weekend.

The 3-year-old cat started showing signs of illness about a week ago, and blood tests before Nadya died showed she had "compromised liver function," the zoo said. The tiger survived exploratory surgery, only to die shortly afterwards.

"She started eating less and then not eating at all, she started looking lethargic," said Kevin Willis, the zoo's vice president for biological programs. "She was a young animal, you just don't expect this kind of problem."

Amur tigers can live into their early 20s in zoos, he said, but 10 to 15 years in the wild.

Results of a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on Nadya aren't expected for at least a few days. It's unknown at this point whether any other tigers have contracted Nadya's condition, though Willis said zoo officials expect it only affected her.

The zoo had hand-raised Nadya since the summer of 2012 when she arrived from the Saint Louis Zoo.

"She was one of those animals that greeted you when you came in in the morning," Willis said. "She was a very nice cat."