11-year-old tiger dies at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after pneumonia

Thiruvananthapuram: An 11-year-old female tiger rescued from Amarikkuni region died at Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after battling pneumonia, officials said on Saturday.According to officials, the tiger was undergoing treatment for the past two weeks after being diagnosed with pneumonia. However, its condition worsened due to a pre-existing liver disease, which limited its response to antibiotics. The animal died around 6am on Saturday. The tiger was captured from Amarikkuni forest area under South Wayanad forest division and brought to the zoo in Jan 2025 for rehabilitation. Though its earlier injuries healed, it had lost its canine teeth, making it unfit to be released back into the wild. As a result, it was being cared for in captivity. Zoo authorities were closely monitoring the animal's health, but its deteriorating condition over the past few days proved critical. The combination of pneumonia and underlying liver complications ultimately led to its death despite medical intervention. The cremation was conducted at the zoo premises at 4pm. Forest and zoo officials are expected to conduct further examinations and documentation as part of standard postmortem and reporting procedures.