‘TOY TIGRESS’ FAILS TO KEEP LAST CUB ALIVE

The “unique” experiment to rear three orphaned tiger cubs by a cuddly “toy female big cat” in Madhya Pradesh ended in disappointment with the last survivor succumbing to a viral disease on Wednesday.

“The last surviving orphaned tiger cub died on Wednesday morning. The cause of the death of the cub was yet to be ascertained. But symptoms appeared to be that of parvovirus strain 2,” Bandhavagarh Tiger Reserve director Mrudul Pathak said. The two other siblings had died of the same disease. “We could not save the three tiger cubs despite our best efforts,” he said. The three tiger cubs were rescued by forest department officials after their mother was killed by poachers.