Sohan, a Royal Bengal Tiger named by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, passed away at the age of 21 on Saturday night at the Jharkhali Tiger Rehabilitation Centre, where he had spent several years.
The tiger had been ailing for some time, and his condition worsened on Saturday afternoon, leading to his demise. According to forest department officials, Sohan had stopped eating properly in recent days and was being provided with liquid food.
“Preliminary assessments suggest that old age was the primary cause of death, although veterinarians will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact reason,” said a forest department official.
Sohan was among the first two tigers brought to the Jharkhali Tiger Rehabilitation Centre when it was inaugurated in 2012 by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
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She personally named the two tigers—Sohan, the male, and Sohani, the female. Sohani passed away recently, following which Sohan’s health also began to decline.
Sohan had a significant history within the Sundarbans.
“In 2009, he repeatedly entered the Satjelia locality, likely in search of food. After being captured by the forest department, he was initially taken to the Alipore Zoo but was later transferred to the Jharkhali Tiger Rehabilitation Centre. Over the years, Sohan and Sohani became major attractions for visitors, symbolising the region’s efforts to rehabilitate and care for displaced tigers,” said the official.
The director of the state’s wildlife department, Nilanjan Mallick, expressed his sorrow over the tiger’s death.
"It is unfortunate, but Sohan was quite old, around 22 years of age. He had developed cataracts in his left eye and suffered from other age-related health issues. His death is a natural outcome of ageing," he said.
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