A nine-year-old tiger, Oliver, died at the Pilikula Biological Park situated on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Tuesday.
The tiger, which was healthy and active till morning, suddenly collapsed and died, the Biological Park's Director H Jayaprakash Bhandary told DH.
Though a veterinary doctor tried to revive the tiger by treating it immediately after it collapsed, the tiger breathed its last.
Oliver was born to Vikram and Shambhavi in the Biological Park.
At present, the Biological Park of Dr Shivarama Karantha Pilikula Nisargadhama has 12 tigers.
"The samples of the deceased tiger have been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru for testing. The tiger's Covid-19 sample has also been sent to the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, Bhandary said.
“The post mortem report is awaited and once the report from all these institutes arrive, we will come to know the exact cause of the death,” he said.
As a precautionary measure, all animal houses and enclosures at the Biological Park are being sanitised. The staff are strictly adhering to Covid-19 guidelines, he added.
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Published 04 January 2022, 09:58 IST