15-year-old tigress dies of cardiac arrest in Patna zoo

Patna: A 15-year-old tigress died of cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at Patna zoo here, a Bihar government official said on Monday.

The ailing big cat was on August 1 brought to Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, known as Patna zoo, from Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the only national park in Bihar's West Champaran district.

“Medical reports of the tigress suggest that she died of cardiac arrest," Bihar's Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden PK Gupta told PTI.

The viscera of the animal was sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, he said.

"A team of senior veterinarians, including those from Mysore zoo in Karnataka, was keeping a close watch on her health. Despite our best efforts, the tigress could not be saved," Gupta said.

The state environment department had already informed the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) about the animal after it was brought to Patna zoo for better treatment, he said.

The VTR has recorded a 75 per cent increase in tiger numbers from 31 in 2018 to 54 in 2022.

Enthused by the sharp increase in tiger population at VTR, the Bihar government has initiated a process of developing 'Kaimur wildlife sanctuary' into another tiger reserve or 'tiger-bearing landscape' in the state.