Tragic Loss at Delhi Zoo: Only One Tiger Cub Survives

The Delhi Zoo is mourning another blow as another tiger cub from Aditi's litter died, marking the loss of five out of six born earlier this month. Only one cub survives under intensive care, according to zoo director Sanjeet Kumar.

Following its early morning admission to the zoo hospital on August 20, the cub succumbed the following Saturday despite medical efforts. In an unfortunate replay of a 2005 event, the birth of six cubs by a seven-year-old tigress led to only two surviving.

The deceased cubs' carcasses are undergoing post-mortem at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly. Meanwhile, the sole surviving cub, brought in on August 15 for hand-rearing, is deemed healthy and being fed milk. The zoo, established in 1959, is a designated tiger conservation and breeding center by the Central Zoo Authority's 2010 initiative for 73 endangered species.

(With inputs from agencies.)