THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The forest department on Friday handed over the tiger captured from the South Wayanad subdivision to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.
The six-year-old female tiger, which had been terrorising the human settlements in Mayilambadi in Wayanad was captured by the forest department on March 12. The tiger has been kept in a specially arranged quarantine cage and will be moved to a normal cage after the quarantine period.
“We are concerned about the health of the tiger. We have kept the tiger in quarantine for 21 days. We haven’t collected the blood sample yet as its health is yet to be stabilised,” said veterinary surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. He said that there were several old and fresh wounds on the animal’s body.
“The tiger is under stress as it has been in captivity for 10 days. There are chances of Capture Myopathy - a stress-induced muscle degenerative condition that results in death. We will know more about its condition during the quarantine period. We fed the tiger and it is drinking water, which is a positive sign,” said Dr Nikesh.
He said that the preliminary test for a viral disease had come out negative. The zoo authorities have installed pedestal fans and a cooler to give proper ventilation and reduce the effect of scorching summer heat on the animals.
“Tigers cool down their body temperature by wallowing them in water bodies and hence a water mist system that sprays water has been installed to substitute the process,” Dr Nikesh added.