Tiger at S.D. Zoo Gets Dental Work

SAN DIEGO – A tiger named Awang Relak could help keep his species from becoming extinct, zoo officials say, but first he needs to do something about his teeth.

The 240-pound Indochinese tiger was anesthetized and strapped to a medical table at the San Diego Zoo on Friday so a dentist could clean out pockets of infection and pry smaller teeth away from larger ones.

While that was going on a veterinarian was probing the 3-year-old’s private parts, making sure his sperm count is good enough that he’ll be able to mate with female tigers when he’s older.

“He was a fabulous patient,” said veterinarian Nancy Boedeker.

In about another year he could be ready for a date with Mek Degong, a female tiger that, like Awang Relak, was brought to San Diego from Malaysia’s Melaka Zoo.

Tiger species around the world are in danger from poachers and decreasing habitat, but Awang Relak also had other worries. He is missing his canine teeth, and the others are in such bad shape that officials say it is likely he would have starved in the wild.