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One of India’s oldest big cats in captivity, Raja, died at 25 in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district on Monday.
Forest officials bid their final goodbyes to Raja, one of the oldest Royal Bengal Tigers. (Photo: ANI)
One of the country’s oldest tigers in captivity, Royal Bengal Tiger Raja, died at 25 in the Jaldapara forest of West Bengal’s Alipurduar district.
The forest department celebrated the big cat’s 25th birthday at his shelter on August 23 last year.
Raja had sustained serious injuries after a crocodile attacked him while crossing the Matla River in the Sundarbans in 2008. Raja, who had been taken to the South Khayerbari Tiger Rescue Centre since 2008, walked on a prosthetic limb after surviving the attack, Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Roy said.
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Raja did not show any symptoms of serious illness and the vets diagnosed the cause of his death as old-age-related problems, Roy said.
According to the forest official, the carnivore died late on Sunday at the age of 25 years and 10 months, the oldest for any Royal Bengal Tiger.
However, the official could not confirm if Raja was the oldest Royal Bengal Tiger in the country. He said big cats don’t usually live beyond 20 years.
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Based on several standard protocols to assess, the department had arrived at the tiger’s age in 2008 at 12, another forest official said.
Raja used to respond to the calls of his keepers and vets who looked after him, an official said.
“He was like a child. He seemed to understand everything,” Roy said.
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