Royal Bengal Tiger died at rescue centre in North Bengal

Siliguri, Jul 10 (UNI) An eighteen-year-old Royal Bengal tiger rehabilited to Tiger Rescue Centre at South Khaerbari in Coochbehar forest division two years ago died on Thursday, wildlife officials here said today.

Torsha was taken to the rescue centre in 2005 along with 19 tigers from different circus companies was sick and probably died of Tuberculosis (Tubercle Bacillus or TB), they said.

This was third death of the tiger in the rescue centre in past two years and the second since Februacy last.

Torsha was 16 years old tiger and undergoing treatment for long time.

West Bengal forest minister Ananta Roy has ordered an inquiry to determine the causes of deaths of the tigers in the rescue centre of Tiger Reserve Forest in Jalpaiguri district. He said he would initiate steps after getting the inquiry reports from the wildlife officials.

" I ordered to submit the report by next week stating the present condition of the TB affected tigers,'' Mr Roy told reporters.

Some nineteen tigers were rescued from different circus companies in 2000. Then they were sent to a firm in Kolkata. But in 2005 they were taken to the Tiger Rescue Center of South Khaerbari under Coochbehar Forest Division.

Four of them were sent to Padmaja Naidu National Park in Darjeeling.

Divisional Forest Officer Manindra Chandra Biswas told UNI that another five tigers are also sick. He said he had urged the aid for the tigers to the state government and report has been sent to the West Bengal Forest department.

The forest department, however, cremated the tiger secretly, post-mortem was conducted to get the real reason of the tiger's death, he said. According to him Torsha was sick since the animal was brought here.

A forest department officer said the blood samples of the other tigers were sent to Hyderabad for medical tests. "Until and unless the samples reach here and know the diseses we can not start for proper treatment,'' said Mr Biswas.

Two tigers- Laxmi and Nakul- died in March, 2006 and February this year respectively.

UNI