Rajah, a Bengal tiger that captivated patrons at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo since he was a cub, has died, the zoo announced Thursday. He was 18.

Rajah, whose lifespan was the equivalent of a 90-95-year-old human, was recently under close supervision at the zoo in Gulf Shores for a mass in his mouth “and other declining health conditions,” the zoo said.

The Bengal tiger was put down on Wednesday.

Rajah came to the zoo as a small tiger cub and enjoyed playing with his sister, Rani, and his big ball inside his habitat.

He had trouble walking in his older years.

“Rajah lived at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo his entire life and had such an incredible presence,” said Joel Hamilton, the zoo’s executive director. “His life not only brought joy to so many of us and our guests but helped the zoo educate our guests about this endangered species and how important it is to take care of our wildlife and preserve our planet.”

The Bengal tiger is considered endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species.

The loss of habitat and prey, caused by human expansion, poaching and illegal wildlife trade are the largest threats to tigers in the wild, the zoo said.