Indore : The city zoo is proving a curse to newborn cubs of big cats as they continue to die for one or other reasons. A pall of gloom descended on the city zoo on Thursday as the last surviving cub of white tigress Diya died nearly 20 days after he was born.
Diya had given birth to two cubs on May 28. One of them had died of lung infection about 10 days back. “The second also passed away due to lung infection,” zoo in-charge Dr Uttam Yadav said. He said that both the cubs were suffering from lung infection and respiratory problems since their birth.
According to zoo officials, the deceased cub was declared dead only after post mortem which was done early morning on Thursday. On Wednesday night, a guard noticed the 20-day-old cub of Diya lying unconscious. He informed zoo authorities about it. They rushed to the tigress enclosure, but its mother did not allow them to examine it. Later, somehow the zoo staff managed to lock Diya in another shelter and took the cub for examine.
Yadav said that the cub was not breathing. “He had died in the enclosure,” he said adding that the post-mortem found that the cub was suffering from the lung infection just like the first one.
Three cubs die in last 35 days
In past 35 days, three newborn cubs had died at city zoo. Earlier, one of the five newborn cubs of lioness Megha had also died in the first week of May due to respiratory problems.
Last year also, six cubs, three each of Diya and Megha had died at the zoo. They, however, had died due to mishandling by their respective mothers. Megha and Diya had picked their cubs up by the flesh rather than the skin around their necks. The move proved fatal for the cubs. The number of big cats in the city zoo has reduced to 30 from 33.
