Tiger cub, rescued from Nandyal, dies of illness at Tirupati zoo

TIRUPATI: One of the four tiger cubs, found abandoned by their mother near Atmakur forest of Nandyal district in Andhra Pradesh and later shifted to SV Zoological Park (SVZP) in Tirupati in March, died of pneumonia and nephritis on Monday, 29 May 2023.

The four cubs, deserted by a tigress, were initially found by villagers of Pedda Gummadapuram in March. The forest officials and villagers in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve area launched a massive search operation to catch the Tigress.

With no trace of the mother, the officials were forced to intervene and transferred the cubs to the SVZP, Tirupati. A special enclosure was set up and the round-the-clock care was provided with the help of dedicated hands. Initially, the cubs were a bit apprehensive of human intervention but slowly regained confidence. In recent days, the cubs reportedly gained weight and were hale and hearty.

Unfortunately, one of the four cubs suddenly fell ill and died. A post-mortem examination revealed that the cub died of kidney failure and liver problems. Veterinary doctors at the zoo said that the particular cub might have had congenital health issues which might have become profound in later days. As a precautionary measure, blood samples of the remaining three cubs were sent to a laboratory in Hyderabad for detailed analysis.