A male Royal Bengal tiger found wobbling near the Harikhali camp in the Sundarbans on Saturday afternoon died while being shifted to the Sajnekhali camp on Sunday for treatment.
The tiger is estimated to have been between 10 and 12 years old. An expert said it appeared to have died of weakness and old age.
On Saturday, the tiger had strayed from the core forest area. Visibly weak, the animal lay beside a pond as the forest department staff tried to feed and water it. However, the tiger refused the food and water. On Sunday, the animal was being taken to the Sajnekhali camp on a boat but died on the way.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. The tiger appeared to be very weak and even refused water and food. Forest personnel, without thinking about their security, tried to save the tiger. It died while being taken to the Sajnekhali forest camp for treatment,” said Joydip Kundu, a member of the state wildlife board and the general secretary of NGO SHER.
He added, “It appears that the tiger, which was about 10 to 12 years old, died due to weakness and old age. It seems that he was without food for a very long time. It happens with old tigers as they fail to hunt as their canines get eroded due to age. Yaas also made it impossible to find food as the water level rose. The post-mortem report will ascertain the real cause.”