Last tiger born and raised in zoo; 23-year-old Bengal tiger Rahul's roar becomes memory

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The oldest tiger in the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo has died. 23-year-old Bengal tiger named Rahul died this morning. He was the last tiger born and raised in the zoo. Rahul was kept in a separate cage since the 18th of this month as he became frail due to old age.

Rahul, a male tiger, was born on May 11, 2003. He had been under special treatment for a long time due to liver disease. Due to old age, he could not control the growth of his claws by scratching trees and rocks, and the overgrown claws had recently penetrated his paws. He was then treated and cured under the leadership of the zoo's veterinary surgeon Dr. Nikesh Kiran, but other disabilities continued.

Before falling ill, he used to eat seven kilos of beef every day. Later, when he could not eat meat from the bones by himself, he was given soup and milk as food. The body was cremated after the postmortem.

Dr Soumya Vijayakumar, Dr Ajith Kumar GS, Dr Pratyush PR from the State Institute for Animal Diseases, Palode, Zoo Veterinary Surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran, Zoo Director Manjula Devi, Zoo Superintendent Rajesh VS, Curator Sangeetha, Livestock Inspectors Jijo, Sudhin, Nahas, Supervisors Murali and Ramachandran paid their last respects.

Five more tigers

The zoo now has two female tigers and one male tiger brought from Wayanad. Apart from these, there are also white tigers named Shravan and Malar.