An operation which doctors claimed was the first ever in the world to fit a prosthetic limb to a tiger was unsuccessful on Saturday after the big cat rejected it.
The operation was carried out in Maharashtra's Nagpur.
Tiger 'Sahebrao' lost his front left paw after it got entangled in a steel trap set by poachers in Palasagaon forest range in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandarpur district in 2012.
A team of orthopedic surgeon Shushrut Babhulkar, veterinary doctor Shirish Upadhyay, medical personnel from Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Science University (MAFSU) besides experts from IIT-Bombay and abroad had collaborated over the past two years on the prosthetic limb project.
Speaking to PTI, Dr Babhulkar said, "In Saturday's operation, the tiger was tranquilised and the prosthetic limb was attached. However, Sahebrao took it off when it regained consciousness. Since the tiger was not feeling pain from the amputation anymore, we believed there were chances it would reject the prosthetic limb."
He said the operation started at 8am and lasted till 10:30am on Saturday.
"It is the first time something like this is happening anywhere in the world," Dr Babhulkar had claimed on Friday.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
