Rescue Centre Bids Adieu Royal Bengal Tiger Raja dies, administration plans memoir
While there is no concrete plan yet on what exactly will be done, the district administration and the forest department are planning something so that Raja “can be remembered forever in South Khairbari.”
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The district administration is also ruing the fact that now the “main attraction” of the rescue centre is gone. (PTI Photo)THE district administration is planning a memoir for Royal Bengal Tiger Raja, who died on Monday. Raja, nearly 26 years old, died of multiple organ failure at the South Khairbari rescue centre in Kolkata. He was one of India’s oldest surviving tigers in captivity, official sources said.
The district administration is also ruing the fact that now the “main attraction” of the rescue centre is gone. While there is no concrete plan yet on what exactly will be done, the district administration and the forest department are planning something so that Raja “can be remembered forever in South Khairbari.”
“Nothing has been finalised but we might put up a statue of Raja so that he can be remembered forever,” Alipurduar District Magistrate S.K Meena said.
Raja was the last tiger at the South Khairbari rescue centre. The centre was established 17- 18 years ago when circus tigers were rescued. “In 2008 when ‘Raja’ was brought to South Khairbari, there were 19 more tigers at the centre. Over the course of time, all of them were taken to other zoos or died,” said Deepak M, DFO Jaldapara.
“In North Bengal, there are a lot of tea gardens and here man-animal conflict happens more often. Sometimes we rescue some tigers, cubs which are left behind by the mothers . Raja was brought to the centre in 2008 . His limb was cut off by a crocodile in Sundarban. It took him many years to recover and then was not fit for zoos. We had a small farewell on Monday. Many people used to come to South Khairbari only to see Raja,” he added.
Raja weighed 140 kg and was 2.6 meters in height, from head to toe.
According to forest officials, in May 2008, while crossing River ‘Matla’ at Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary under Sundarban Tiger Reserve, Raja’s left hind leg (from knee portion) was taken away by a crocodile during a territorial fight. It was rescued in such a condition by the staff of Sundarban Tiger Reserve and then and there translocated to Alipur Zoo, Kolkata. Primary veterinary treatment was administered in Alipore Zoo itself. The name Raja was coined there, officials said.
At the initiative of the officers of Directorate of Forests, West Bengal, Raja was brought to the erstwhile South Khairbari Leopard Rehabilitation Centre, the only one of its kind, in August 2008 for further treatment and rehabilitation. The big cat was still unable to walk on its own and its body was carrying more than ten (10) live wounds to be healed. Veterinary Doctor Pralay Mandal along with Wildlife Guard Partha Sarthi Sinha, focused on the treatment. It took 24 hours of surveillance from staff and handlers of South Khairbari Leopard Rehabilitation Centre to cure the left hind leg of ‘Raja’ and nine months after it came here, it gathered strength and started limping.
“The success story of ‘Raja’ ; from then has been perceived synonymous with the success story of the erstwhile South Khairbari Leopard Rehabilitation Centre that was made a mini zoo by Central Zoo Authority, Government of India. The rehabilitation of this maimed male Royal Bengal Tiger will always be remembered as one of the greatest and rarest example of ex-situ conservation in the history of Directorate of Forests, West Bengal,” read a statement issued by the forest department.
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