Nagpur: The second ex-situ (away from natural habitat) tiger conservation experiment by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) failed after the lone cub born to 13-year-old tigress Lee died accidentally immediately after delivery. This is for the second time the tigress has lost its cub soon after delivery at Gorewada Zoo in Nagpur.
The tigress Lee delivered a cub at Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo on Tuesday evening but it died when the tigress was lifting it in her jaws to relocate the cub. This is not for the first time but her four cubs had died the same way in 2016. The Forest Department had brought Lee to Maharajbagh Zoo from Chandrapur district in 2009 when she was only 15 days old. Similarly, another tiger Rajkumar which had entered in a wedding ceremony in Bhandara district three years ago accompanied Lee from Maharajbagh Zoo to Gorewada. The two were released together for a safari at the Gorewada Zoo.
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Lee started having labour pains on Tuesday afternoon. Around 4 pm she gave birth to a cub. After licking him, she grabbed the cub’s tail and covered him with grass. However, while attempting to shift it to another spot, the canines pierced deep into the cub’s neck, killing it instantly. This must have happened due to lack of maternal instincts. A team of veterinary doctors from Gorewada and MAFSU was present there. After stopping the labours, they are finding whether the tigress was carrying some more cubs in the womb. Lee is now 13 years old. Zoo management had separated the tigress from Rajkumar one month ago as she is older to the tiger.
The management made arrangements for natural delivery by making an artificial cave with maintaining temperature, light, keeping rubber mat, grass mattress, cooler, incubator if not accepted new-born and CCTV, informed S S Bhagwat, Divisional Manager, Gorewada Zoo project.
It may be mentioned here that Lee had delivered four cubs in 2016 but she had killed them while lifting from one place to another. Since she was separated from her mother such symptoms are observed during the first litter. Lee, Jaan and Cherry were brought to Maharajbagh on January 23, 2009 when they were just two weeks old as they got separated from their mother at Junona lake in Chandrapur district. Cherry was sent to Kanan Pandhri Zoo at Bilaspur while Jaan is in Maharashtra zoo.
