Tigress seriously injured in fight with mate at Pilikula

A five-year-old tigress was seriously wounded during a fight with its seven-year-old  potential mate at the Dr Shivaram Karanth Biological Park at Pilikula near here on Monday.

The tigress, named Bunty, suffered deep, life-threatening wounds on the neck. It had been brought from a zoo in Hyderabad two years ago.

The tiger, named Kumara, was born at Pilikula, according to Jayaprakash Bhandary, director of the park.

The animals were kept in separate cages in a common enclosure in order to help them get close to each other.

On Sunday, zoo officials had left Kumara and Bunty together and they did not have any problem.

They were alright even on Monday morning. But in the evening, they came to blows, which left Bunty seriously injured.

The tigress is being treated at the veterinary clinic inside the zoo, Bhandary said.