The sole surviving tiger cub from the litter of four which was born in the Lucknow Zoo about a fortnight ago, died on Friday morning.

Suspecting some genetic problem related to inbreeding as the cause of deaths, the zoo authorities have written to Nandankanan Prani Udyan in Orissa, asking them to provide them with the family tree of the two tiger parents — Ipshita and Shishir.

“Ipshita and Shishir were brought from Nandankanan Prani Udyan in 2007. It seems there was some deficiency in the genetic make-up of the cubs. To know whether they belong to the same family, we have written to the authorities in Orissa,” said Renu Singh, Director of Lucknow Zoo.

In May, Ipshita had become pregnant, but the pregnancy was aborted in 84 days, instead of lasting the usual gestation period between 103 to 105 days. This was the second attempt at breeding by the pair. “As it has happened for the second time, we have written to the Orissa authorities to understand the situation,” said Singh.

According to the postmortem report, the cub died due to cardio-respiratory failure. Singh said: “The cub was fed milk around 11 pm last night but it showed symptoms of dullness. The veterinary doctor was called in and the cub was monitored the entire night. It was again fed milk around 5 am and then at 8 am on Friday. It, however, died in the morning.”

“The mother had abandoned the cubs and this can also be the reason behind the deficiency. Even when we went to pick up the cub, it did not react,” Singh added.

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