Tirupati: A lioness and a Siberian white tiger died at the SV Zoo park on Friday. While the death of the lioness was attributed to senility, the tiger died of infected wounds following a fight with other tigers.
Empa, the 16-year-old lioness, was suffering convulsions for 21 days due to ill health. Zoo officials had isolated the lioness, that had been rescued from the National Circus of Thane, Maharashtra in 2001,
Officials said Empa had developed bed sores as she was lying at the same place. Her body was cremated after a team of veterinary doctors and assistants performed a post-mortem. Zoo curator Y. Srinivasulu Reddy said veterinarians had confirmed that the lioness had died due to senility.
Mr Srinivasulu Reddy said the white tiger, three-year-old Balarama, was injured in the tail in an encounter with other tigers. It had been shifted to another cage and was being treated. The veterinary doctors conducted post mortem to the deceased white tiger and later cremated it.
Mr Srinivasulu Reddy said veterinarians had been treating the tiger everyday but staff said the tiger had died due to lack of proper and effective treatment. “There are only two veterinarians, who are outsourced staff, to take care of the animals,” an employee said.
Staffers wanted permanent veterinarians to be appointed at the zoo on the lines of the Nehru Zoological Park at Hyderabad.
