BHOPAL: Two two-and-a-half months old tiger cubs died in the Bandhavgarh National Park on Sunday after getting infected with Parvovirus while their another sibling is critical. After the death their mother in Sanjay Gandhi Reserve, the cubs were shifted to Bandhavgarh.
Wildlife officials said as their mother died soon after their birth, the cubs could not develop immunity from Parvovirus, which came from drinking the mother’s milk. A team of veterinarians were trying to save their lives for the past 20 days but their efforts did not bear fruit.
Park director Mridul Pathak told Free Press Parvovirus was an infection which could afflict animals of both dog and cat families. Pathak said antibiotics were administered to the cubs but they did not work. He said wildlife veterinarians of South Africa were extensively consulted to decide the line of treatment for the cubs.
They were quarantined to protect other tigers from catching the infection. He said like dengue in humans, infection by Parvovirus led to diminishing platelet count in animals. No effective cure for the disease was available in India.
