Marina the Tiger (c.2004-2025)
Obituary
Marina the tiger died at the Downtown Aquarium after spending nearly her entire life inside.
Marina, a 21-year-old white Bengal tiger, died at the Downtown Aquarium in Houston, Texas in August 2025. She was transferred to the aquarium at one year old and spent nearly her entire life trapped inside.
In 2017, the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Downtown Aquarium for violations of the Endangered Species Act regarding the tigers' conditions. At the time of the lawsuit, four tigers, Marina, Nero, Coral, and Reef, had been kept indoors for more than 13 years “without adequate access to sunlight, fresh air, or natural surfaces.” In 2016, the Animal Legal Defense Fund offered to transfer the tigers to an accredited sanctuary at no cost, but the aquarium owners declined. The aquarium owners ultimately expanded the tiger enclosure to include more outdoor space and enrichment, and the lawsuit ended. But the case underscores the suffering that tigers and other big cats experience in captivity, even at facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, like the Downtown Aquarium.
Tigers are endangered. The major threats to tigers are poaching for the wildlife trade and habitat loss. Poachers kill tigers and sell their body parts for use in traditional medicine or as novelty items. Other tigers are stolen to be sold into the cruel wildlife entertainment industry. The demand is so great that there are even tiger farms where tigers are born only to be killed or spend a lifetime of misery in captivity. Tigers used to live across Asia, but 96% of tigers’ natural range is gone due to human expansion.
Tigers are big cats who belong in the wild, where they can roam for miles, exploring and hunting. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves tigers to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.
