Fifth tiger cub in a litter of six dies at Delhi zoo; lone surviving cub under intensive care

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) The Delhi zoo has lost another tiger cub, the fifth in a litter of six born earlier this month, leaving only one surviving cub which is under intensive care.

The cub, which had been brought to the zoo hospital in the early hours of August 20, died on Saturday afternoon despite treatment, zoo director Sanjeet Kumar said.

On August 4, seven-year-old tigress Aditi delivered six cubs --” the largest litter recorded at the zoo in more than 20 years. A similar case was reported in 2005 when six cubs were born, of which only two had survived.

Aditi's first cub died on August 8. According to zoo officials, it was the weakest of the litter. Another cub, which was unable to feed on the mother's milk, also died soon after.

Early on Friday morning, two more cubs died, bringing the number of surviving cubs down to two. One of the two, which was in critical condition, died on Saturday.

"The carcasses of the dead cubs have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly for post-mortem," Kumar said.

"Out of the six cubs, five have died so far. The remaining one, brought in on August 15 for hand-rearing, is healthy and being fed on milk," he added.

The Delhi zoo, which has been housing tigers since its inauguration in 1959, was chosen under the Central Zoo Authority's conservation breeding programme launched in 2010 for 73 critically endangered species.

As part of the initiative, the zoo was designated a centre for tiger conservation and breeding. PTI NSM RUK RUK