One of two newborn tiger cubs dies at Chhatbir zoo

Sharing details, Chhatbir zoo field director Kalpana K said the cub, delivered by eight-year-old white tigress Gauri, was three days old when the cub was observed to have been gradually rejected by the mother

In an unfortunate incident, one of the two Royal Bengal tiger cubs born at the Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, better known as the Chhatbir zoo, died at the neonatal care unit of the zoo’s veterinary hospital.

With the cub’s death, the count of tigers at Chhatbir zoo has come down to seven. (HT Photo)

Sharing details, zoo field director Kalpana K said the cub, delivered by eight-year-old white tigress Gauri, was three days old when the cub was observed to have been gradually rejected by the mother.

This cub was separated from its mother as per protocol and taken to the neonatal care unit at the zoo’s veterinary, but despite best efforts, it died the next day.

This was the first tiger death at the zoo since May 2021. With the cub’s death, the count of tigers at the zoo has come down to seven.

Zoo officials said the mother was exhibiting normal behaviour with the other cub, who was observed to be actively suckling. The zoo team is vigilantly monitoring the behaviour of the mother and the surviving cub round-the-clock.

The efforts to pair Gauri with three-year-old Arjun began in April, with the tigress giving birth to the cubs nearly 100 days later.

Gauri had arrived at Chhatbir from Rajkot zoo in 2019 as a four-year old. Arjun, meanwhile, was born at Chhatbir in 2019