Mangaluru: 9-yo ‘healthy’ tiger dies suddenly at Pilikula; Samples sent for Covid test

Mangaluru: A 9-year-old tiger “Oliver” died at the Pilikula Biological Park here on Monday night.

The veterinarians at the park said that the tiger appeared healthy but suddenly collapsed on Monday evening. Though medical aid was provided it died without responding to treatment.

Oliver was the offspring of tigers named Vikram and Shambhavi at the Pilikula zoo. There are currently 12 tigers in captivity at the zoo.

Samples sent for Covid testing:

The samples from the deceased tiger have been sent for testing, zoo authorities said. Nasal swab sample has been sent to NIHSAD of Bhopal for covid test. Samples of the organs have been sent to Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAH-VB) in Benglauru and Uttar Pradesh to find the exact cause of the sudden death.

The Biological park authorities are taking decontamination procedures as a precautionary measure. “Disinfectant is being sprayed in and around the animal’s enclosures to prevent the spread of any disease at the zoo,” the director of Pilikula Biological Park HJ Bhandari told Udayavani.