Tigress Jayshree gives birth to 3 cubs, eats 1, another dies

Bhubaneswar: Tigress Jayshree, who on Saturday gave birth to three cubs in her first litter, consumed one of them, while another died soon after birth in Nandankanan Zoo on Sunday. With only one cub surviving, the total number of big cats in the zoo has increased to 29, 18 tigers and 11 tigresses.

Jayashree, who mated with the tiger Amit between Sept 15 and 17, appeared to lack the necessary maternal instincts, a common occurrence in first-time mothers. “As this was Jayashree’s first delivery, she seemed unable to care for the cubs properly. It is not abnormal for a tigress to consume the cubs,” the zoo’s deputy director, Sanath Kumar, said.

The first cub was born at 11:55 pm on Saturday but was not attended to by Jayashree. It was immediately moved to the neonatal care unit for close monitoring by the zoo’s veterinary team. The second cub, born at 3:34 pm, was extremely weak and suffered fatal injuries when the inexperienced mother accidentally rolled over it. Despite immediate intervention, the cub succumbed to its injuries, zoo officials said. The third cub, delivered at 4:55 pm, was consumed by Jayashree shortly after birth, a behaviour sometimes observed in the wild when a mother senses something amiss with her offspring.

“Out of the three cubs, only one has survived and is currently receiving continuous veterinary care in the ICU of the zoo hospital. We are doing everything possible to ensure the health and well-being of the surviving cub,” Kumar added.