Yet another tigress, eight-year-old Shweta, died at the Van Vihar National Park in the state capital early Tuesday morning. With this casualty, the death toll of tigresses has gone up to three in this prestigious national park within a year.
Earlier this month, on June 9, a 15 year-old tigress had died of kidney failure at the national park. What is alarming is that even Shweta has died of kidney failure. With her death, the park is now left with nine normal and two white tigers.
According to Van Vihar authorities, Shweta refused to eat anything four days after the death of a tigress in a neighbouring enclosure. She was tranquillised and tests were conducted. As the reports were normal, she was put on broad spectrum antibiotics. Another round of tests was conducted on June 18 and it was found that her creatinine level was high indicating kidney failure. After this she was put on intravenous infusion. Shweta’s samples have been sent to the disease investigation laboratory to analyse the E. coli and find out the strain of the bacterium that led to her kidney failure.
Last year, again in the month of June, a three-year old tigress had died under mysterious circumstances at Van Vihar.
The national park officials have gone on record saying that her death was accidental. According to them this young tigress had suffocated to death as her windpipe choked after she vomited.