Days after wildlife experts expressed concern regarding the post-cyclone well-being of the Royal Bengal Tigers of Sunderbans, one of the earth’s most dreadfully beautiful beasts, succumbed apparently to the cyclonic shock as also old age, sources said.
The forest officials who tried to rescue it but failed on Sunday said that it could be the “cruel combination” of old age and scarcity of prey soon after the cyclone Yaas hit the area that could have ended its life. A male tiger aged about 11-12 years that strayed out of the core area and was found in a completely rundown condition outside Haarikhali camp Chief Wildlife Warden VK Yadav said adding it could barely walk.
“It was found lying by a pond and was panting even in rest … we tried to revive it by giving it chicken and water … it refused to have the chicken but sipped water for some time but failed to survive on way to the Sajnekhali forest camp for treatment,” an official said adding the “Sunderbans tigers are one of the cleverest and fittest animals on earth and they have learnt to survive in saline water (which is why perhaps they often turn man-eaters) conditions for ages.”
They also said that it was rare that a Sunderbans tiger had not tasted human blood. “Often these tigers swim across saline rivers often more than a mile wide and filled with crocodiles to enter the local villages and drag away livestock or even men,” they said.
As per the last census there are about 96 tigers in the Indian side of the Sunderbans.
A postmortem on the tiger would be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. Wildlife expert Jaydeep Kundu said that often “the canine teeth of older tigers get dilapidated which is why they cannot hold on to their prey for long.
This is why often they have to go food less for days, often weeks … this tiger is an older one and might have become weak due to lack of food … more over the cyclone may have taken its toll as it could not manage the easy preys too.”
He however wondered how the tiger could cross the wide Matla River even in this weak condition. “This is the will power that makes the prodigal Royal Bengal Tiger,” he said.
