Anand, a ten-year-old captive Royal Bengal tiger at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) died early on Thursday morning, a week after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The incident occurred almost a year after Anand's year elder Yash (12) succumbed to soft tissue muscular tumor.
SGNP veterinary officer Dr Shailesh Pethe said, "Anand had developed a lump in the jaw and his blood test also revealed that he had developed chronic renal disease with age. A team of experts and senior professors from Mumbai veterinary college conducted a preliminary investigation and, based on the collective opinion, a biopsy was done. The biopsy report confirmed it to be a malignant cancerous tumor. A team of experienced veterinarians and professors were treating him, however, his condition remained critical and he finally succumbed to the disease on early Thursday morning."
Anand had been in captivity since birth. His elder brother Yash (12) also died of somewhat similar kind of complications in May 2019.
According to SGNP officials, Anand's condition was critical since July 2.
"Anand had stopped eating food due to his illness since last Sunday and had lost a considerable amount of weight. He was completely on IV fluids and supplements. We were closely monitoring him and doing the best we can," added Pethe.
Currently, SGNP has five tigers in all, which includes one male and four females.
