JALPAIGURI: On Monday, the oldest surviving Royal Bengal Tiger in the country in recent times died in the wee hours, leaving everyone in a state of mourning.
Raja, the tiger from South Khairbari tiger rescue and rehabilitation centre at Alipurduar's Madarihat, died on Monday at the age of 25 years and 10 months making it one of the longest surviving tigers in the country only second to another tiger that had lived upto 26 years in captivity.
Raja was brought to South Khairbari, in August 2008, after being injured by a crocodile in a territorial fight in the Sunderbans with more than 10 injuries.
It was almost 11 years old when brought to South Khairbari, and there it survived for another 15 yrs, making it one of the oldest surviving tigers in the country.
Usually Bengal tigers live up to 15-16 years in captivity. When in the wild, their lifespan is around 12-13 years.
"The success story of Raja will always be remembered as one of the greatest and rarest examples of ex-situ conservation in the history of Directorate of Forests, West Bengal," said Dipak M, Jaldapara wildlife divisional forest officer.
Alipurduar DM, Surendra Kumar Meena, DFO Jaldapara Dipak M and other officers of forest dept and district administration along with zoo staff paid homage to the braveheart.
