A white male tiger cub died at Odisha's Nandankanan Zoological Park on Sunday.

The cub, born on June 7 to white tigress Mousumi and normal-coloured tiger Rajesh along with a healthy female cub, had been weak since birth.

Zoo authorities said the cub weighed only 650 grams at birth and had deformities in its forelimbs resembling “swimmer puppy syndrome” in dogs. On June 11, it was shifted to the zoo’s Centre for Rearing Animal Babies as it was unable to suckle milk.

Veterinarians found the cub was suffering from navel infection, low body temperature and general weakness. It was placed in an incubator and given oxygen support, infrared therapy and milk formula, besides daily physiotherapy and bandage support for its limbs.

“Despite continuous care and repeated check-ups by expert veterinarians, the cub could not stand and remained recumbent. Over the weeks, it also suffered from blood in stools, ear infection and wounds due to lying down all the time,” the zoo release said.

The cub died on Sunday morning. The other female cub of Mousumi, though healthy at birth, has a congenital problem in its right hind limb. It suffers from arthritis and fused joints (ankylosis), causing difficulty in movement.

With this loss, the tiger population at Nandankanan stands at 28, including 19 normal-coloured tigers (11 males, 8 females), five white tigers (3 males, 2 females) and four black tigers (3 males, 1 female).