Two of six newborn Bengal tiger cubs dead at

The first death occurred in the zoo enclosure on Thursday, the second died at the zoo hospital after developing an infection

New Delhi: A week after six Bengal tiger cubs were born at the Delhi Zoo to seven-year-old tigress Aditi, marking the largest litter in two decades, two of the cubs have failed to survive the initial period of “critical care”, zoo officials said.

Tigress Aditi with the litter. (HT)

While the first death occurred in the zoo enclosure on Friday, the second died at the zoo hospital after developing an infection, officials said, adding that the initial few days are crucial due to a higher mortality rate.

Sanjeet Kumar, the Delhi zoo director said that of the six cubs, the first was extremely small and died on Friday, four days after its birth. Another was fairly weak and was not able to feed on the mother’s milk. “It was weaned and transferred to the zoo hospital on Saturday but died on Sunday, despite all efforts to save its life. Constant monitoring of mother and cubs are on through CCTV and the keeper. Required supplements are being given to mother too to enhance milk letdown,” said Kumar.

Zoo veterinary officer Abhijit Bhawal said the remaining four cubs were doing well. “For the entire litter to survive is very difficult, as, in the initial few days, chances of mortality after birth are fairly high. Despite the best of precautions, two have died, but on the bright side, the remaining four are doing well and regularly feeding on the mother’s milk,” said Bhawal, adding the enclosure is being cleaned regularly.

“We are keeping an eye on the cubs, both through CCTV and manually too. If a cub does not feed properly or appears lethargic, we will immediately bring it to the hospital,” Bhawal said.

The cubs were born between 9am and 11am on Monday. This was Aditi’s first litter, zoo director Sanjeet Kumar had said earlier. Aditi is of wild origin and was brought to Delhi from the Gorewada rescue centre in Nagpur.

Prior to the recent births and deaths, the zoo had six white tigers and seven Bengal tigers.

In 2023, tigress Siddhi, who was brought from Gorewada in Nagpur, gave birth to a litter of five cubs, making it the first successful birth of Bengal tiger cubs at the zoo in nearly 18 years. However, only two eventually survived, with three found to be stillborn. In 2005, a litter of six was delivered, but only two survived.

Meanwhile, the last white tiger birth came in 2022, when the white tigress Sita delivered three cubs, of which two survived. “In such a large litter, having a 100% survival rate is extremely difficult,” the official said.

The zoo has been housing tigers since its inauguration on November 1, 1959. In 2010, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) started a planned conservation breeding programme of 73 critically endangered wild animal species, as part of the National Zoo Policy, 1998. Under it, the Delhi Zoo has been chosen for tiger conservation and breeding.