Mangaluru: Tigress dies

Mangaluru: A 16 year old tigress 'Nethravati' died today of a massive cardiac arrest at Dr. Shivarama Karanth Pilikula Nisarga Dhama at Moodushedde village about 12 kilometres from Mangalore city on Wednesday. The Tigress had a fight with a young male tiger 'Reva' -6 years old on Tuesday. The officials of the Pilikula Nisarga Dhama had though successfully separated the fighting tigers and treated them for wounds, this morning Nethravati collapsed with a massive cardiac arrest due to exhaustion from the fight with the male tiger.

"She was recuperating and taking food and water till the wee hours of Wednesday but soon collapsed and breathed her last," said the Executive Director of the Pilikula Nisarga Dhama H Jayaprakash Bhandary. Reva who had come to heats was trying to mate with Nethravati but she had fought back.

The Pilikula Nisarga Dhama previously had been one of the happy breeding grounds for the tigers and the present count of tigers a the nisarga dhama is 8. The Pilikula in local Tulu language meant -Pili- Tiger and Kula -Pond. Being situated in the foothills of the western ghat this place is naturally well endowed for natural breding of Tigers.