A Royal Bengal tiger has died due to acute kidney failure at the Karachi Zoological Gardens, zoo administration officials confirmed earlier on Friday.
According to a senior director of the KMC’s sports, culture and recreation department, the tiger was unwell since a week.
Mohammad Faheem Khan, Director Karachi Zoological Gardens, said the tiger was 16 years old, adding that Bengal tigers usually live not more than 17 or 18 years.
He said that the tender for a new tiger at the zoo will be submitted tomorrow.
The Karachi Zoological Gardens has had a poor track record, where the deaths of several animals – including tigers, jackals, deer and even a camel of a critically endangered species – have been witnessed in recent years.
This is the second death of a tiger at the zoo in as many years. In June 2014, a young Bengal tiger had died of gastrointestinal problems at the Karachi zoo after being brought from Belgium.
Earlier this month, three male black bucks were found dead at the Karachi zoo after employees claimed they were attacked by ‘stray dogs’. A later inquiry proved that the three male blackbucks, also called Indian antelopes, had killed each other in a fight.
