White tiger dies of sudden heart failure, raises mgmt concerns

Raipur: A 10-year-old white tiger died of congestive heart failure at Kanan Pendari Zoo in Bilaspur district, about 110 km from the state capital. The incident occurred on Monday at 9:11 am when ‘Aakash', the white tiger, was reported dead.The zookeeper, who arrived to clean the cage, noticed Aakash was motionless, even after he sprayed water on the tiger. Realising something was wrong, the zookeeper immediately informed the authorities. Kanan's wildlife veterinarian, Dr P K Chandan, rushed to the spot and confirmed the tiger's death. A post-mortem, conducted in the presence of wildlife experts, determined the cause of death to be a heart attack. The tiger was cremated in the presence of forest officials.Two white tigresses, Siddhi and Isha, remain at the zoo. These white tigers are a major attraction for visitors. Notably, Isha is Aakash's offspring.The tiger's sudden death shocked zoo officials. Senior authorities were immediately informed. A three-member district-level veterinary team, along with Dr Chandan, conducted the post-mortem, confirming the heart attack. Zoo management reviewed CCTV footage, following forest department orders. The footage showed Aakash pacing inside the closed cage during the night and appearing healthy at 7:00 am. But the tiger's condition seemed to deteriorate around 8:51 am.The incident has raised concerns about zoo management. Dr Chandan told TOI that a tiger's lifespan in the wild is about 14-15 years and in a zoo it is 18-19 years. "Heart failure can happen to anyone. The tiger did not show any symptom of illness before the death," Dr Chandan said. He added that white tigers are more sensitive than other species in its family.