White Tiger at Semarang Zoo Reported Dead, Management Responds
SEMARANG — A white tiger kept at Semarang Zoo has reportedly died. The news has gone viral on social media. However, as of now, the management of Semarang Zoo has yet to confirm or provide an explanation regarding the report.
The Instagram account @dinaskegelapan_kotasemarang was the one spreading the news of the death of the white tiger belonging to Semarang Zoo. In a video uploaded by the account, a white tiger, allegedly part of the Semarang Zoo collection, is seen lying in an enclosure with laboured breathing.
The white tiger was said to have been sent to Medan, North Sumatra, as part of an animal exchange programme. However, the account @dinaskegelapan_kotasemarang claimed that an alleged error in the anaesthesia procedure caused the tiger, named Anggun, to suffer an abscess, infection, and ultimately death.
When asked for confirmation about the white tiger’s death, the Director of PT Taman Satwa Semarang, Bimo Wahyu Widodo, refused to give an explanation. “Please be patient. One door, the city administration,” Bimo told Republika via written message on Sunday (26/7/2026).
When asked again whether it was true that a white tiger belonging to Semarang Zoo had died, Bimo responded with a similar answer. “There will be an official statement from the city administration later. We will follow our bureaucratic process. Please be patient for now,” he said.
Previously, members of the media had already asked the Mayor of Semarang, Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti, about the reported death of the Semarang Zoo white tiger. “We will investigate it because it is one of the assets of Semarang Zoo,” Agustina said in an interview last Friday (24/7/2026).
Agustina admitted she had not yet received a detailed report regarding the death of the white tiger named Anggun belonging to Semarang Zoo. “We will investigate whether this anaesthesia error is true. May this incident serve as a lesson for those tasked with caring for the animals. I have not received the details yet; I am asking my colleagues at Semarang Zoo for an explanation of why and how this happened,” she said.