Orphan
cubs had been stealing chickens form villagers
December 2012. Two orphaned Royal Bengal tiger cubs have been ‘rescued' from a
dry water tank near the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.
The cubs were wandering the area without their mother for more than a month, occasionally lifting poultry from local households for survival. Local residents reported the cubs to local wildlife authorities in November. A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) led by Ipra Mekola, Arunachal Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Member reached the site on December 6, to assist the Forest Department in tracking the cubs.
The cubs were wandering the area without their mother for more than a month, occasionally lifting poultry from local households for survival. Local residents reported the cubs to local wildlife authorities in November. A team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) led by Ipra Mekola, Arunachal Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Member reached the site on December 6, to assist the Forest Department in tracking the cubs.
Originally
4 cubs!
"There were four cubs according to the information from the local people. They had been lifting mainly poultry, and had made unsuccessful attempts at larger livestock. One of the cubs was reportedly injured," said Mekola.
"There were four cubs according to the information from the local people. They had been lifting mainly poultry, and had made unsuccessful attempts at larger livestock. One of the cubs was reportedly injured," said Mekola.
On
December 11, the team discovered that three of the cubs had been trapped in a
dry water tank, reported IFAW-WTI biologist Soumya Das Gupta. The villagers had
covered the tank with wooden planks and branches to prevent the cubs from
escaping till the rescue team arrived.
Two
healthy cubs
Two of the cubs were healthy and were successfully sedated and removed from the tank by WTI veterinarians Dr Jahan Ahmed and Dr Nupur Ranjan Buragohain. The third was severely ill when first sighted, and succumbed the following morning.
Two of the cubs were healthy and were successfully sedated and removed from the tank by WTI veterinarians Dr Jahan Ahmed and Dr Nupur Ranjan Buragohain. The third was severely ill when first sighted, and succumbed the following morning.
The
rescued cubs were a male and a female; the deceased cub was also a female.
Post-mortem revealed pneumonia, starvation and hypoglycaemic shock as the cause
of death. The status of the fourth cub is unknown. The two rescued cubs will be
kept under observation till they are stabilised.
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