Raja, one of the oldest tigers in India, dies at 25 in north Bengal
Raja was brought to a rescue centre in north Bengal after a crocodile partially bit off its right hind leg in the Sunderbans
One of the oldest tigers in India – Raja – died at the age of 25 years and 10 months at a rescue centre in north Bengal in the early hours of Monday.
“He was one of the oldest tigers in India, and was brought to the Khairabari Leopard Rescue Centre at Jaldapara in north Bengal in August 2008,” said Deepak M, divisional forest officer of Jaldapara.
Normally, tigers live up to 16 years in the wild and up to 28-30 years in captivity, according to data publicly available.
Raja was brought to the rescue centre in north Bengal after a crocodile partially bit off its right hind leg. The incident took place in the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove delta in the world, and home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger species.
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While there are around 100 tigers in the mangrove forest in the Indian Sunderbans, the rivers are inhabited by estuarine crocodiles. Man-animal conflict is common in this part of the state, where villagers are often attacked and killed by tigers, crocodiles and venomous snakes.
“It was almost 11 years old when it was bought to the South Khairbari rescue center, and there it survived for another 15 years, making it one of the oldest surviving tigers in the country,” tweeted SK Meena, district magistrate of Alipurduar.
