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India’s Pride And World’s Oldest Royal Bengal Tiger ‘Raja’ No More!

• By All That Trending
• 12-07-2022
• 18.82K

Raja, the oldest Royal Bengal Tiger, died at 3 am today at 25 years and 10 months. Everyone is sympathizing for the oldest living tiger death at the South Khairbari rescue centre in West Bengal.  Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment and P C Mohan, Karnataka MP, sympathized with the death of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Tiger and wildlife lovers have taken to the internet to grieve the loss of Raja.  “Saddened to know that Raja, the oldest living tiger in the world in captivity, is no more. As the pride of India that lived for over 25 years, Raja will be sorely missed,” Bhupender Yadav tweeted.  https://twitter.com/byadavbjp/status/1546466667156279296 PC Mohan, Karnataka MP representing Bengaluru Central, said Raja’s longevity is rare. “#Raja, one of the oldest Royal Bengal Tiger in captivity, breathed his last. As against the normal life span of 18 years for tigers, Raja lived for 25 years. His longevity is rare. Raja is the pride of India. His presence will be sorely missed,” Mohan tweeted.  Surendra Kumar Meena of the Directorate of Forests in Jaldapara shared a video of him paying honour to Raja. Indian Forest Service Officer Parveen Kaswan wrote on Twitter that Raja was saved from a crocodile attack and transferred to the rescue centre.  “Today ‘Raja’, the oldest living tiger in captivity, is no more. He died at the age of 25 years and 10 months. Raja was in the rescue centre of Jaldapara for many years. After a crocodile attack. Was saved & later became the oldest tiger in the world in captivity,” Kaswan tweeted.  https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1546477868230000640 https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1546460686255292416

South Khairbari Rescue Centre

Situated far from the human settlement, visitors at South Khayerbari can observe the rescued animals in their natural habitat, which gives a sense of closure to the wilderness. The voyage toward South Khayerbari is an unforgettable experience filled with an awe-inspiring view of changing landscape.  The view of lush tea garden and semi-tropical accompanies the travellers through the journey towards South Khayerbari, and the panoramic vista of lofty mountains encircled by the meandering river Teesta from the age-old Coronation Bridge offers a visual treat to the travellers.  Cuddled amidst the emerald green forest of the Dooars region along the bank of River Torsa, tourists can relish the scenic beauty of South Khayerbari by going on a safari around the rescue centre in battery-operated cars. The main objective behind the formation of South Khayerbari was to rehabilitate the rescued felines who had been tortured and become dependent on humans. According to the forest officials, this distinctive attempt of the South Khayerbari rescue centre is unparalleled in North East India. 

Evolution And Extinction of Tigers in India

According to Project Tiger, tigers are believed to have evolved over 1 million years ago in Asia. From there, the tiger spread north to the Amur region of eastern Russia, south to the islands of Indonesia, then southwest to Indochina and then finally the Indian subcontinent, eastern Turkey, and the Caspian Sea.  This species, which was believed to number 1,00,000 a century ago, is today reduced to about 3890, according to the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Tiger Forum. However, even these figures are disputed.  The IUCN currently recognizes nine subspecies, three of which are extinct in the wild. Three of the six subspecies still found in the wild are considered to be Critically Endangered -- the South China Tiger, the Sumatran Tiger and the Malayan Tiger.  The first of these has not been observed in the wild since the 1970s and may be extinct. Three further subspecies have been declared extinct - Bali, Caspian and Javan Tigers. 

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