Oldest tiger dies in Indore zoo

The country's oldest captive Royal Bengal tiger died at the age of 23-years-and-eight-months at the Kamla Nehru Zoo in Indore on Monday.

The tiger Shyamu died after his vital organs showed extensive signs of degeneration due to old age, zoo in-charge Dr Uttam Yadav told dna.

He said that Shyamu's senses had slowed down over the past two months, adding that the big cat had stopped eating for a few days. Its movements were also restricted.

The cold climate also compounded the plight of the tiger.

The big cat was born in captivity and was the offspring of its parents Sagar and Maya. Bihari, another tiger born to Sagar and Maya, had died at the age of 21 years at the zoo.

Zookeepers admired the tiger Shyamu for its agility. The old tiger had been a star attraction at the zoo in the 1990s.

Yadav claimed that Shyamu was the oldest tiger in the country. The other known oldest big cat was a Royal Bengal tigress in Nandan Kanan Zoo in Bhubaneshwar, which died at the age of 24 years.

On an average, a tiger's life spans around 18 years, the zoo in-charge said.

Zoo doctors performed the post-mortem on the dead tiger. The mortal remains were later cremated.

The 23-year and eight month-old Royal Bengal tiger, was possibly the oldest big cat in the country.