Tigress which had abandoned its cubs, trapped on camera

Forest staff to observe its health condition

Mysore/Mysuru: The tigress, which had abandoned its four cubs, out of which three died and one recovering in Mysuru Zoo, has been finally trapped in the camera at four separate spots after 15 days.

The tigress had given birth to three female and one male cub at Nugu Range of Hediyala Sub-Division in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. It had abandoned three cubs and had taken one cub with her. The Forest staff, who noticed the abandoned cubs aged about two months old, found them severely dehydrated and fed them with water during which one died and the other two cubs were shifted to Mysuru Zoo for treatment, where one cub died and the other recovering.

The Forest staff then conducted a combing operation to trace the tigress and her cub and on Mar. 29, the staff found the carcass of the cub in a decomposed state and  cremated it after post-mortem was conducted. 

To trace the tigress to ascertain its health condition, the Forest staff had installed 70 camera traps at various locations and a team of 50 Forest staff led by Hediyala Sub-Division Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) M.S. Ravikumar, Bandipur Sub-Division ACF Sumithkumar Subashrao Patil, Nugu Range Forest Officer (RFO) Geetha Nayak and Hediyala RFO Manjunath continued with the combing operation. 

On Tuesday night, the cameras installed at four separate locations have trapped the photo of the tigress and the photos have been sent to the Tiger Cell to ascertain if the tigress is the same one which had abandoned its cubs. 

The tigress has been identified as the same one which had abandoned its cubs through the stripes on its body. The Forest officials have also observed that the tigress had no injuries on its body. The staff, to find out the reason for the tigress to abandon her cubs and also to observe its health condition are now waiting for the tigress to be trapped on camera during daytime and are continuing with the combing operation.

Meanwhile, the male cub, which is recovering at Mysuru Zoo since three days is said to lively and has consumed meat balls, bringing smile on the faces of his caretakers.