Big cats diseased at National Park

Activists call for better treatment of animals after MiD DAY spotted a white tiger with sores all over its body and a lion with wounds from crow pecks at the animal reserve

Big cats diseased at National Park

Activists call for better treatment of animals after MiD DAY spotted a white tiger with sores all over its body and a lion with wounds from crow pecks at the animal reserve

AT a time when the country's lion and tiger populations are dwindling, the city's national park houses at least one specimen of both species that seem to be diseased because of neglect.

When MiD DAY went to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivli yesterday, we saw a white tiger in the area covered by the tiger safari which had developed red spots and sores on its legs and back.
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We spotted a white tiger with bruise marks on its right shoulderu00a0and a wounded lion at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park yesterday

"The sores are small and few in number right now, but they will spread across the body when the heat increases," said a staff member.

A lion at the park also had sores on its back, which may have been a result of being pecked at by crows that were attacking it even when we were there.
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The lion seemed motionless and did not even bother to shoo the crows away.

Col J C Khanna, secretary, Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and member, Animal Welfare Board of India, said, "It seems the animals haven't been properly taken care of.
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Authorities at the park should ensure that the animals are kept in hygienic conditions and are given food and water on time. The old cats need special attention."

Poorva Joshipura, chief functionary, PeTA said, "Without a proper clinical examination, it is very difficult to comment on the health condition of the tiger or lion.

The skin condition could be an infection caused by a bacterial virus, or a symptom of nutritional deficiency, an allergy, an immune deficiency or it could be because of the heat.

"SNGP has a vital role to play in protecting big cats and we hope the plight of these animals is being carefully examined and work is on to restore their good health," she added.

Did you know?
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park has 35 wild cats, of which three are lions, six are Royal Bengal tigers and three are white tigers. Two tiger cubs were born in the park in November last year

The Other Side
Deepak Sawant, superintendent of SGNP, said, "The white tiger is old and had developed a skin disease two years back. Its condition is better now and the sores are healing. We have a full time veterinarian who keeps a tab on the animals and injuries are treated immediately."

Asked about the lion, he said, "He doesn't move around much because of old age. We haven't seen any sores or injuries on its body. I will have the vet take a look at him tomorrow."

Rescue Centre
The national park has a centre for leopards which cause a menace in the city and are rescued. Sawant said, "They are kept in cages like prisoners and are not for public viewing. It's like a punishment for creating problems outside." The park has 12 male and 11 female leopards