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On birthday, white tigress Vanya dies in Bengaluru's Bannerghatta zoo: Report
A six-year-old white tigress called Vanya passed away after suffering from a viral infection in Bengaluru's Bannerghatta Biological Park on Friday.
Even as the world was celebrating International Tiger Day on Friday, Bengaluru's Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) was grieving the loss of a white tigress ‘Vanya’.
According to a BBP statement, Vanya was six years old and died of multiple organ failure following a viral infection. Coincidentally, Friday was also Vanya's birthday. She was born on July 29, 2016, to Subhadra and Surya.
Vanya, who was considered the queen of the safari, had been ailing since April. Had tested positive for blood parasites and renal dysfunction, although she was reportedly negative for all common feline viral infections. She was then put on antibiotics, which helped her recover almost completely, getting out again in the safari area after a month's medication.
Vanya's health, however, started deteriorating earlier this month as she had an abnormal body temperature. A fresh blood test confirmed a protozoa infection, and even though she was put on medicines and glucose for the rest of the month, her creatinine levels reportedly rose steadily every day.
According to kidney.org, creatinine is a waste product that comes from the normal wear and tear on muscles of the body. Everyone has creatinine in their bloodstream and levels vary depending on size and muscle mass. Vanya's high creatinine levels caused necrosis, which is the death of cells or tissue due to a disease or injury. Vanya soon stopped responding to treatments and breathed her last on Friday morning.
On an average, tiger's life span is set at 15 to 20 years in captivity. Visceral samples were collected from Vanya and sent for further investigation, reports said.
