A serious concern has swept through wildlife circles after two tigresses at Alipore Zoo died on consecutive days, while a separate tiger attack in the Sundarbans has left a fisherman missing.
At Alipore Zoo, tigresses Rupa (21) and Payal (17) passed away within 48 hours, creating mystery and alarm. The zoo authorities and Aranya Bhavan initially suggested both were suffering from old-age-related ailments, but the exact causes remain unconfirmed.
A three-member veterinary team has been formed to conduct the postmortem examinations at Alipore Animal Hospital on Thursday. According to officials, the entire process will be videographed for transparency. “We will take special measures to ensure such incidents do not happen again,” said a zoo official.
The deaths have sparked concern among wildlife lovers and raised questions about whether there was any negligence in their care. “An investigation committee has been constituted to look into the matter, with the final autopsy reports expected to shed light on the tigresses’ sudden demise,” said the official.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, tragedy struck the Sundarbans when a Royal Bengal Tiger attacked a fisherman in Burirdabri forest. The victim, Chiranjit Mandal (32), a resident of Kalidaspur in South 24 Parganas, was reportedly catching fish with two companions on Monday morning when the tiger pounced.
Also Read: Royal Bengal Tiger found dead in Sundarbans
Eyewitnesses said the animal leapt silently from the mangrove forest onto their boat, bit Chiranjit by the neck, and dragged him deep into the jungle. His companions, shaken and helpless, returned to the village only on Tuesday night to report the incident. “We immediately launched search operations, deploying drones and handheld thermal cameras in the Burirdabri area on Wednesday. However, Chiranjit has not yet been found, and his family and villagers remain devastated,” said a forest department official in Sundarbans.
The twin tragedies — the mysterious zoo deaths and the Sundarbans tiger attack — have cast a shadow over Bengal’s wildlife sector, highlighting both the fragility of captive conservation and the perilous coexistence of humans and tigers in the wild.
Also Read: Sundarbans to become India’s second largest Tiger reserve
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