Even as Uthra, a tigress at Chennai’s Arignar Anna Zoological Park reels from the loss of her four cubs, Jodhpur’s Machia Biological Park have three survivors from similar incidents.
All three were born to the lioness RT —affectionately called Aarti — at Machia, 15 km from Jodhpur city. Since October 23, 2016, RT has given birth thrice, to seven cubs. One each — Kailash, Riyaz and Laxmi — survived from each litter. “The others died due to a combination of incisor injuries from RT and dehydration,” said Shravan Singh Rathore, Senior Wildlife Veterinary Officer at Machia.
The four tiger cubs at the Anna Zoo, Vandalur that were born on November 5 had injuries in the thoracic area, suggesting that they died while being moved around by mother Uthra. Apart from her handling of her cubs, Aarti has been unable to feed them. “She has no milk in her mammary glands. This meant that the cubs were dehydrated,” said Dr. Rathore.
The staff at Machia observe the litter for 24 hours using CCTV cameras before moving in to separate them from Aarti. “We cannot rush the tigress soon after giving birth. She has to remain calm. We have to wean the animal away first, because she always fears attacks on her litter,” said Dr. Rathore. After having experienced similar situations thrice, he insists that the staff at the Vandalur Zoo cannot be blamed for the mishap. “It is a very difficult process,” he said.
The first time it happened, the Park — inaugurated in January 2016 — was unprepared. “We had rescued Kailash but had no way of feeding him. There was already traces of blood in his urine from the dehydration. I called up a friend and fellow veterinarian at the zoo at [Gujarat’s] Junagadh. There was no time to wait for official clearances, so he rushed over on his own vehicle, carrying kitten milk replacer power. He stayed a day with me, instructing me how to feed Kailash,” said Dr. Rathore. The Park now stocks the milk replacer, imported from the United States.
Kailash survived, forming a special bond with Dr. Rathore. He now lives in a separate enclosure but rushes to his side for pats and nose rubs from across the fence when the veterinarian visits. Dr. Rathore had carried him, all of 40 kg then, into the enclosure. “I restrict my visits these days. He was being too tame. We need to develop his wild side again,” he said.
Riyaz, along with Laxmi — named so after being born this Diwali — now live at the Park’s hospital. Kailash himself was named after the hospital in which he was treated. Riyaz was named after the veterinarian Riyaz Kadivar from Gujarat who had rushed to help him.
This writer travelled to Rajasthan as part of a delegation of the Press Information Bureau.
