Bhubaneswar: One of the three cubs born to tigress Rupa at Nandandankanan Zoological Park here died on Monday after reportedly being abandoned by its mother.
Rupa had given birth to a normal cub and two white cubs on March 11.
The zoo authorities informed that the condition of the other two cubs, including a normal coloured female cub and another white male cub, was stable.
Zoo deputy director Sanjeet Kumar had then informed that the three cubs were being had reared since the 3.5 years tigress could not tend to the newborns being a first-time mother. “A tigress normally becomes a mother after four years and therefore, it will be a challenge for us to save the cubs and hand-rear them,” he told TNIE.
While the cubs were fed supplementary milk, Rupa was also kept under CCTV watch to monitor her health condition.
With this, the overall tiger population in the zoo has dropped to 28 and so also the number of white tigers from 6 to 5.
