THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 15-year-old tiger which was captured at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad last year when it strayed into human inhabitation is getting ready to face visitors at the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. The tiger, which has been named George, had sustained serious injuries and would soon be discharged from the veterinary hospital attached to the city Zoo.
George, who has been named after Nivin Pauly’s character in the film, Premam, was brought to the city Zoo on Dec 5 last year. The two white tigers brought from the National Zoological Gardens have been named Shravan and Malar (the female heroine in Premam). There were earlier reports that Shravan was likely to be rechristened George which was denied by the Zoo authorities. Later they decided to name the captive tiger from Wayanad as George.
He was infested with maggots all over his body and was in a serious condition. Dr. Jacob Alexander, senior veterinary surgeon at the Zoo had not given much hope on George surviving as there was a lacerated wound on the left thigh which was as big as 12 inches long exposing the knee joint.
“One claw on the left forelimb was injured and exposed and there was severe inflammation of the left paw. The tip of his nose was missing and he could not lift his neck and breathe properly. Laboratory investigation revealed that his lungs were invaded by a worm called Paragonimus westermani which occupied a major part of the lungs which had caused him severe dyspnoea (labored breathing)”, said Dr. Jacob Alexander to DC.
He also said that George’s intestines were infested with a tape worm, Diphyllobothrium, which resulted in exercise intolerance leaving him unable to hunt properly in the wild. This led George to look for prey in the human settlement and had killed almost 25 heads of cattle at Wayanad before being captured.
He underwent several surgeries and is now ready to face visitors at the city Zoo. Additional Chief Secretary P Mara Pandiyan visited George at the veterinary hospital recently. With the arrival of George, the tiger population in the city Zoo has shot up to nine.
