Maasti, the tiger, dies at Bannerghatta zoo

Bangalore: Maasti, the iconic tiger who had survived a poaching attempt in 2002, died at Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) here on Friday. The seventeen-year-old male tiger had been averse to human interaction and died due to age-related diseases.

In 2202, poachers from North India had struck at Nagarhole national park and Maasti’s left forepaw got caught in their jaw-trap. Forest officials sighted the tiger and they decided to capture and treat it. As the big cat was captured in Maa­stigudi, it was named Maasti.

The tiger was brought to Mysore zoo and his left forepaw had to be amputated because of the injuries caused by the trap. Maasti was shifted to BNP in 2006. During his stay here, Maasti fathered 16 cubs and officials said they were of ‘pure wild gene.’

During the last few years, Maasti was kept away from any kind of human interaction and only a caretaker and veterinarian were allowed to go near the big cat. Maasti’s caretaker Basa­varaj said the tiger used to get irritated on hearing the voice of humans and would not eat if he saw any humans around.

"Since the tiger was caught in his prime age (10), the tiger never liked interaction with humans," he said. The veterinarians who atte­nded Maasti said that since the tiger was amputated, there was always a pressure in his other legs.

“Even six months ago Maasti fell ill due to the same problem. Also the big cat was suffering from age related diseases. However, last week his food intake was good,” said Arun Shah, the veterinarian from Wildlife SOS. Karnataka is home to the largest number of tigers in the country.