Bhubaneswar, July 3: The oldest tigress of Nandankanan Zoo - Sushama - died here today around 8.20am due to age-related diseases.
The Royal Bengal Tiger was 21 years old, a zoo official said.
Sources said the tigress was suffering from diseases related to old age and had been undergoing treatment at the zoo for some time. "Sushama had been undergoing treatment for the past three years. She died this morning. The reason for her death was old age," said a zoo official.
Officials said the tigress was born in the zoo to Debashis and Yamuna on December 29, 1995. The average lifespan of a Royal Bengal Tiger is about 20 years, they added. Notably, with the death of Sushama, only 21 tigers, including white and melanistic tigers, are left in the zoo.
According to a tiger census report, the zoo had 45 tigers in 2006. The population of the big cats has dropped significantly in the past decade to less than half of that number. "Most of the tigers in the zoo died due to age-related problems. We take good care of the animals. No tiger died prematurely here," the officials claimed.
Animal lovers across the state mourned Sushama as news of her death spread.
"The number of tigers is decreasing across the country. We should do something to save the species from extinction. The zoo officials should ensure their breeding to increase tiger population," said Janmejaya Pradhan, the convener of People for Animals, a non-government organisation.
Bhanupriya Panda, another animal lover, said tigers were the pride of Nandankanan Zoo. "Many people know Nandankanan because it is home to a number of Bengal, white and melanistic tigers. People come here to see these big cats. If their number goes down, it will be a loss for the zoo and it may lose visitors as well," Panda said.
In February, a male giraffe that was brought in from Calcutta died within days of its arrival. The giraffe, which was named Joy by zoo officials, died at Nandankanan, five days after it was brought from Alipore Zoo for four tigers as part of an animal exchange programme. An autopsy had revealed theileriosis as the reason behind its death.
More recently, a melanistic tiger delivered a stillborn cub in the zoo.
