Ailing leopard dies at Lucknow zoo

Lucknow, Dec 20 A 15-year-old female leopard at the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden in Lucknow has died.

The leopardess, who died late on Monday evening, had been rescued from the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary and had been getting treatment at the zoo's medical centre since 2018.

She had been ailing for a long time and its health saw a sharp decline on Saturday, the zoo statement said.

She had stopped eating food and drinking water even as doctors tried to nurse her back to health.

Meanwhile, a couple of tigers at the zoo have also been suffering from severe health complications.

With the daily temperatures plummeting, the zoo's veterinary team is working to keep the ailing wild animals comfortable and treat their respective conditions.

One of them is Kishan, a rescued tiger brought from the Kishanpur sanctuary, who has been suffering from cancer around its ears and mouth for the last 13 years.

Due to the severity of its illness and old age, Kishan's health has seen a steady deterioration.

"The tiger has not consumed any food over the past three days and remained restricted to his enclosure," said a press statement from the zoo.

Similarly, Kajri, an aged tigress who was rescued from the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in a near-dead state in 2019, is hearing- and vision-impaired.

Unable to move too well, Kajri is only able to eat tender meat, and is fighting for her life at the zoo.