Latest news with #tiger
The Independent
6 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Indian tigress dies after long battle with bone cancer
One of India 's most iconic wild tigers, Arrowhead of Ranthambore, has died after a long battle with illness, shortly after her daughter was relocated following fatal attacks. Arrowhead, also called Lady of the Lake for her crocodile hunting skills, was found dead near Jogi Mahal in the Ranthambore reserve in western India on Thursday. She was around 14 years old. The tigress, officially designated T-84, had reportedly suffered from a bone tumour. She had stopped eating on Monday and appeared extremely thin and weak in her final video. An autopsy confirmed multiple organ failure. Forest officials cremated her body following National Tiger Conservation Authority protocols, with a gathering of wardens, wildlife photographers, and local conservationists present. The tigress, named for the distinct arrow-shaped mark on her cheek, was known for her fierce independence and unusual hunting skills, including eating crocodiles. Just days before her death, she was reportedly seen taking down a crocodile near Padam Talab, in a powerful echo of her grandmother, Machhli, Ranthambore's most famous big cat and original 'crocodile hunter.' Arrowhead's final moments were captured by Sachin Rai, a wildlife photographer who had tracked her since she was a cub. 'It was heartbreaking to see her struggle, attempting to rise and take a few feeble steps before collapsing again,' he wrote in a post accompanying video footage. 'Eventually, she reached a tree and lay beneath it. In that quiet moment, I knew in my heart that the end was near.' Arrowhead was the daughter of tigress Krishna and had inherited a prime territory in the reserve around Padam Talab. She raised ten cubs from four litters, and six of them survive her. She had several confrontations with male tigers over the years and even her own daughter, Riddhi, who eventually displaced her. Arrowhead's death came just hours after another of her daughters, Kankati, was tranquilised and relocated to the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. Kankati had recently been involved in fatal attacks on a forest ranger and a 7-year-old child. 'It is a disheartening coincidence that she passed away on the same day when her daughter was being shifted,' field director Anoop K R said, according to the Hindustan Times. Arrowhead's death sparked an outpouring of tributes. Ranthambore's Instagram account posted: 'She was a symbol of grace, strength and motherly spirit.' Mr Rai echoed the sentiment, calling her 'a true tigress in every sense'. 'Arrowhead was a symbol of wild grace, of power tempered by patience, of survival against all odds,' he said. For many in India's wildlife conservation community, Arrowhead's death marks the end of an era – another link to Machhli lost. Her legacy, though, is being carried forward by the next generation of big cats.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
China zoo visitors slammed for ‘lucky' tiger hair pulling, warned against provoking beast
A group of tourists who pulled out the hair of a tiger at a zoo in China, thinking it would ward off evil spirits, have sparked outrage online. On June 8, a viral video showed several visitors at a zoo in Liaoning province, northeastern China, pulling hair from the big cat's belly and tail through a metal fence. The incident took place in a special zone where tigers often rest on top of a steel viewing tunnel. In the video, one of the tourists, a woman, is heard saying: 'Let's pull more! Tiger hair keeps evil away and protects the home.' A video of the incident shows tourists plucking tufts of hair from the big cat through a metal fence. Photo: handout A couple of fellow visitors each grab small tufts of hair, and some tie them to their handbags.
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Celebrities in new series Shark! taught by diving instructor with missing limbs
The celebrities were said to be taking a big risk as they swam with ever-increasing sized sharks in the Bahamas in a new ITV series to mark the 50th anniversary of Jaws The seven celebrities who agreed to swim with sharks in an ITV series which marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, were taught to dive by an instructor with missing limbs. The seven stars - who all admit to being scared of the sea - were Call the Midwife's Helen George, comedians Sir Lenny Henry and Ross Noble, Countdown's Rachel Riley, McFly's Dougie Poynter, Amandaland's Lucy Punch and TV presenter Ade Adepitan. All have now returned from filming Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters with their lives intact, but were constantly reminded of the dangers involved by their Australian instructor - who was missing an arm and a leg, courtesy of a tiger shark. For the five-part series, due to start next month, the celebs were challenged to confront their greatest fear and flown to the island on Bimini in the Bahamas, home to around 10 different species of shark. Once there, they took the plunge together alongside hammerhead, bull and tiger sharks. While there is no voting or elimination process in the show, the dives got progressively harder, with each involving a bigger and tougher breed of shark, and the celebrities were allowed to sit out if they felt overwhelmed. One insider said: 'The sharks they were free diving with were definitely dangerous and they were shocked when they realised what had happened to the expert, who'd had an arm and a leg bitten off.' Despite the series being shown as tribute to half a century since the Oscar-winning Jaws was released in 1975, the 'ocean-phobic' stars did not attempt to recreate the movie scenes. 'There were no Great Whites involved in the making of this show,' the source said. 'But it was not for the faint-hearted, that's for sure. Some were more scared than others.' Viewers will have to wait to see if any of the stars sustained injuries during the making of the programme, which was filmed last year. Yesterday presenter Rachel said that taking part was a 'dream come true' adding: 'It was the best trip, the best experience, the best everything, of my life.' Describing it as 'wet and wild' she added: 'Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters is a totally new type of entertainment show, with so much integrity and a love of sharks and conservation at its heart. And with the best bunch of people you could hope to work with.' The mum-of-two said she'd first been asked to take part a year ago. 'They said we're thinking of sending some celebrities out to the Bahamas for a few weeks to swim with some of the biggest, scariest wild sharks in the world.' Helen agreed that it had been brilliant, saying: 'One of the most insane experiences of my life, learning about this incredible creatures, with equally incredible humans.' Ross described it as a 'great adventure' and quipped: 'No, it's not a wind up, it's a real thing.' And pop star Dougie marvelled that it was the closest he'd ever get to a 'real Jurassic Park experience'. ITV entertainment boss Katie Rawcliffe said audiences should enjoy the combination of blue chip natural history programming with ITV's skill at entertainment, and called the famous faces taking part 'some of the bravest celebrities out there'. Karen Plumb, of Plimsoll Productions, said the aim was to give viewers a new perspective on sharks. 'We're constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin – delivering 50 years after Jaws – will transform the world's perception of these critical predators before it's too late.'
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Yorkshire Wildlife Park tiger recovers after ingrown toenail procedure
A 17-stone (110kg) tiger is recovering after a successful operation to remove an ingrown toenail at Yorkshire Wildlife a 15-year-old Amur tiger, received the 15-minute procedure after staff at the park in Doncaster noticed she was limping and seemed sensitive on one veterinary team injected her with a short-lasting general anaesthetic to allow them to clip off the troublesome claw. Tschuna will briefly be kept away from visitors at the attraction while she fully recovered, with the procedure stopping discomfort and preventing infection. Dr Charlotte MacDonald, park director of animals, said: "Tschuna came back round relatively quickly and should have a speedy recovery, though she probably has a bit of a headache from the anaesthetic."She'll hopefully be back to her playful self again very quickly." Bex Brown, park head of carnivores, said they usually try to avoid having to use anaesthetic."Trying to trim it would have caused her pain, so she wouldn't have allowed us to do that - and leaving it would have been painful and uncomfortable for her," she said."Because we don't sedate them often at all, it was a good opportunity to give her a full MOT while she was asleep."Tschuna arrived at the park in 2013 as part of an international breeding Brown described Tschuna as "a princess", adding: "If we present her food she often puts the food on her other paw rather than off the ground." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Bloomberg
28-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Indonesia Is Pursuing the Worst Form of Solar Power
While the rest of the planet is catching on to the realities of energy, Indonesia is pursuing the most inefficient form of solar power — one that uses millions of hectares of land, is plagued by volatile supplies, and hides a dark legacy of environmental destruction behind its renewable image. We're talking about palm oil. The red grease is ultimately solar energy, soaked up by trees and converted into fatty fruit that can be crushed and refined into biodiesel. For all the angst about palm oil in cosmetics or confectionery, and its effect on endangered orangutan and tiger populations, by far the biggest use is Indonesian fuel.
