SURAT: A 14-year-old tigress named Sambhavi that had made Sarthana Nature Park its home for the past seven years succumbed during the early hours of Wednesday.
The big cat was under treatment since the evening of June 4 when it was found inactive in the enclosure during a routine check.
During primary examination it was found paralytic either due to snake bite or presence of neurotoxin in the body.
“Its blood report revealed that the liver was compromised, so we were giving lifesaving treatment and fluid therapy.
But there were no signs of recovery and it eventually died during treatment around 4 am on Wednesday,” said Dr R A Patel, in-charge zoo superintendent.
The tigress’s post-mortem report revealed snake bite or neurotoxin poisoning as the cause of death.
Its viscera samples were sent to Navsari Veterinary College for further examination.
“There is presence of venomous snakes like cobra and vipers in the zoo, so snake bite could be one of the causes and neurotoxin poisoning could be because of bacteria present in the soil,” Patel said.
He added that due to its age its immunity was also low and the post-mortem also revealed that the liver was completely damaged.
Patel told TOI that Sambhavi was brought from a zoo in Mangaluru in 2014.
After Sambhavi’s death, only a 10-year-old tiger now survives at the nature park.