Another tiger cub has died at the Bannerghatta National Park on the city outskirts, raising the toll of wild cats to five in the past week, a top forest official said today.
“A three-month-old tiger cub which was in a cage with its mother and three other siblings was playful till yesterday evening when it suddenly developed diarrhoea and collapsed, despite treatment,” the park’s executive director Tagore Millo said.
Two lions, a tiger and a three and a half-year-old tigress cub died earlier this month. The three wild cats (two lions and a tiger) died of old age as they had crossed the normal age range of 12-16 years. The cub Divya died of diarrhoea, for which she was being treated.
The average life span of wild tigers ranges between 10-15 years and in captivity 16-20. “Divya’s mother and two siblings who were there with her in the cage also developed similar symptoms but recovered after treatment,” Millo said.
Post-mortem visceral samples of Divya and another cub sent to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals revealed that the deaths were due to stomach infection caused by E.Coli and Salmonella bacteria, he said.
Meanwhile, blood samples of the cubs have also been sent to the institute for analysis.
“So far no other cubs have displayed similar symptoms.
A team of doctors from the Institute is camping at the park,” Millo said.
