Nagaraj, a 10-year-old Asiatic male lion brought from the Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden in Gujarat last month and now lodged at the city zoo, will be relocated to the Lion Safari Park in Neyyar on Monday.
The lion will make the journey to Neyyar alone after Radha, the six-and-a-half-year-old lioness transported along with him, died at the zoo on Wednesday.
The two cats had been brought to the State in exchange for two giant Malabar squirrels.
Mystery
Meanwhile, the cause of Radha’s death remains a mystery. She was seemingly well at the start of the journey. But all through the relocation, the lioness hardly ate anything. After reaching the zoo on August 18, its feeding pattern was erratic.
Finally, a blood test was done on August 25 and bacterial infection was suspected owing to the high total blood count. The lioness was then put on a range of antibiotics, to which she failed to respond.
A team of doctors was put on the case and they suspected pyomoetra caused by sepsis. In the meanwhile, the lioness was paralysed on September 2. When scanning ruled out pyometra, the doctors were back to square one.
They consulted with experts from veterinary colleges and even doctors working in critical care for human beings to get a break. The blood analysis of the cat, done every three days, did not match her physical condition or the fact that she continued to be alive. Even after the death of the lioness, the exact cause continues to elude the doctors.
Chief Forest Veterinary Officer Easwaran E.K. says tests are being considered using fresh kits for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).
The doctors say deaths of Asiatic lions relocated from Sakkarbaug have been reported in other places, and if they are able to identify the cause of death, it will be a breakthrough. “Radha was the first Asiatic lion to be received by the State. For us, her death is not a closed chapter as yet.”
