4 Rescued Tiger Cubs Die At Karnataka Centre, Viral Infection Suspected

Four tiger cubs rescued by the Forest Department last month died at a rescue and rehabilitation centre on the outskirts of the city, officials said on Wednesday.

According to officials, a tigress and her four cubs, aged around four months, were captured near Gowdanakatte village in Hunsur taluk after being spotted roaming along the forest fringes in the district.

The tigress was trapped and shifted to the Chamundi Animal Conservation, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Koorgalli on the outskirts of Mysuru on November 27.

Her cubs were safely captured three days later, on November 30, and moved to the same facility, where they were kept under observation, an official said. However, on December 1, one of the cubs died.

A preliminary inquiry suggested it may have succumbed to starvation and is also suspected to have developed respiratory and cardiovascular complications, the official said.

The remaining three cubs died on December 5, 7, and 9. Officials said all three are suspected to have contracted a viral infection, possibly Feline panleukopenia.

It is a highly contagious and severe viral disease in cats and kittens, primarily targeting rapidly dividing cells in the digestive tract, bone marrow, lymphatic tissue, and developing nervous system.

The mother tigress remains healthy but continues to be under observation, they added.

Viscera samples of the cubs have been sent to a veterinary laboratory in Bengaluru to determine the exact cause of death, and the reports are awaited, officials said.

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