Oldest tiger in Pilikula Zoo dead

A 22-year-old tiger died of cardiac arrest at the Shivaram Karanth Nisargadhama Wildlife Park at nearby Pilikula, park sources said.
'Tiger Raja' as he was called, was shifted to the park from Tiger Safari Centre in Shivamogga in 2003.
The tiger had outlived its average life expectancy which is around 18 years, the sources said. It had been ailing for some time and died of cardiac arrest yesterday.
The diet of 'Tiger Raja', which weighed about 280 kg was 12 kg meat per day.
Raja had killed his caretaker Kushalappa Gowda on August 1, 2012. It had mauled Gowda who died due to heavy bleeding caused by the injury.

The body of the animal was cremated after post mortem.