THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘The Story of George’ by French writer Claire Le Michel about a 22-year-old tiger by the same name housed in the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo which was included in the school curriculum in France is now being launched as an online game. Named ‘Finding George’, the online game in French and English in Kerala will be launched on October 23.
George died last December due to old age. TNIE had reported about George going places during last June. George had been a troublemaker in Wayanad where he had killed more than 25 domestic animals of people living on the forest fringes in 2015. It was captured and brought to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. He was cared for and nursed back to life by senior veterinary surgeon Dr Jacob Alexander who named him George, after Nivin Pauly’s character in the flick, ‘Premam’.
Alexander had not got much hope that George would bounce back to life due to a dozen injuries. Apart from maggot-infested wounds all over his body, there was a lacerated wound on the left thigh which was as long as 12 inches exposing the knee joint. Tapeworms had infested his intestines, a claw on the left forelimb was injured and exposed with severe inflammation of the paw.
The tip of George’s nose was missing and he could not lift his neck properly. The laboratory investigations revealed that his lungs were severely compromised with worms covering a major part causing severe dyspnoea (laboured breathing). Claire found out George’s story of survival from the zoo authorities during her visit and wrote ‘The Story of George’. On Monday, Claire told TNIE over the phone that the online game has already been launched in France. “We have got excellent reviews from people here who have played it. I will be coming to Kerala in December to launch ‘The Story of George’ under the banner of Editions Le Verger des Hespérides,” said Claire.
It is the Alliance Française de Trivandrum and the Compagnie Un soir ailleurs who are presenting the online game ‘Finding George’. Alexander told TNIE that Claire was keen to give something for the children of the state which resulted in her coming out with the online game on George.
“From day one, I was interested in the necessity of wildlife and tiger conservation. So my mandate has been achieved and I feel content that George, who was captured from the wild and then nursed back to life and gone on to become a hero in faraway France, is now reaching our state too. George will live on through Claire’s book and the online game,” said Alexander.