“Raja,” Royal Bengal Tiger, dies at the age of 25 years and 10 months
Officials announced on Monday that the oldest Royal Bengal Tiger kept in captivity in West Bengal had passed away at his sanctuary in the Jaldapara forest in the Alipurduar district.
The forest department celebrated Raja’s 25th birthday last year on August 23, the day he was given a second chance at life in 2008 after escaping a crocodile attack, with joy, the official added.
Raja had not recently displayed any signs of a major disease, and the vets determined that his death was due to age-related issues that could have suddenly surfaced, according to Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Roy, according to PTI. According to Roy, the carnivore passed away late on Sunday at the age of 25 years and 10 months, making it the state’s oldest Royal Bengal Tiger.
The official added that big cats rarely live above the age of 20 and was unable to determine whether Raja was indeed the oldest Royal Bengal Tiger in the nation until double-checking.
After his natural limb was severed in a crocodile assault while swimming across a creek in the Sunderbans, Raja, who had been brought to the South Khayerbari Tiger Rescue Centre since 2008, used a prosthetic limb to walk, according to the official. Another forest officer reported that the agency had determined the tiger’s age in 2008 at 12 based on a number of conventional methods to assess.According to the official, Raja used to answer to the calls of his caretakers and the veterinarians who took care of him.
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