Raja, the tiger from South Khairbari Tiger Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Alipurduar‘S Madarihatdied Monday at the age of 25 years and 10 months, making it one of the longest surviving tigers in the country, second only to another tiger that has lived up to 26 years in captivity.
@TOICitiesNews Alipurduar, #WestBengal: People pay tribute to 25-year-old tiger #Raja from SKB rescue who… https://t.co/Bi7fYSyCjv
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Rajasthan was brought to South Khairbari, in August 2008, after being wounded by an alligator during a territorial war in the Sunderbans with more than 10 injuries.
It was almost 11 years old when it was brought to South Khairbari, and there it remained for another 15 years, 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 about 12-13 years.
“Raja’s success story will always be remembered as one of the greatest and rarest examples of displacement conservation in the history of the Directorate of Forestry, West Bengal“, said Dipak M, forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife department.
Alipurduar DM, Surendra Kumar Meena, DFO Jaldapara Dipak M and forest and forest management staff along with zoo staff paid their respects to the brave man.
