Lioness Rewa dies in Nandankanan after delivering stillborn cub
Bhubaneswar: Eight-year-old lioness Rewa, who gave birth to three cubs, including one stillborn, on Saturday and another stillborn on Monday, in Nandankanan zoo here, died due to excessive bleeding, officials said.
The post-mortem report revealed that during the last delivery, the foetus was malformed, leading to excessive bleeding in the uterus. “During post-mortem, veterinary doctors found the last foetus was bigger and malformed. The uterus had around 2 litres of blood. The last stillborn was delivered at 3.35 am and she was finding it difficult. This was seen in the CCTV footage. Since there was bleeding in the abdominal cavity, the lioness died,” said deputy director of the zoo, Sanath Kumar.
Through CCTV footage, zoo caretakers saw a portion of the foetus (dead cub) in the birth canal. “She was provided with electrolytes in water and continuous monitoring was on. At about 3.35 am, Rewa delivered the stillborn cub, and the full monstrous foetus came out, leading to internal bleeding. She was found dead soon after the foetus came out from the birth canal,” Kumar added.
On Saturday, the lioness delivered three cubs, including a stillborn, between 9.33 am and 5.56 pm. Both the surviving cubs were rejected by Rewa, and they were shifted to the neonatal ICU for hand-rearing. The cubs are currently under observation and care.
Dr Bhagirathi Panigrahi, professor, department of livestock production at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), said a big foetus cannot be carried in the uterus and the animal is not able to deliver. “It is not possible to check captive animals physically to see if there cubs are yet to be born. As it was eight-years-old, the animal may not have age-related issues, but uterus rupture may have led to its death,” he said.
Rewa was brought in 2020 to Nandankanan from Kamala Nehru zoo in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, when she was four-years-old. Rewa gave birth to eight cubs in three litters, of which six cubs survive.
She previously gave birth to two litters sired by Jeet, producing five cubs, four of whom — Simba, Keshari, Shivam, and Maya — are alive and being hand-reared. Out of her surviving third litter, one cub is male and the other is female. With Rewa’s death and the birth of two cubs, the total lion population at Nandankanan touched 23.
The post-mortem report revealed that during the last delivery, the foetus was malformed, leading to excessive bleeding in the uterus. “During post-mortem, veterinary doctors found the last foetus was bigger and malformed. The uterus had around 2 litres of blood. The last stillborn was delivered at 3.35 am and she was finding it difficult. This was seen in the CCTV footage. Since there was bleeding in the abdominal cavity, the lioness died,” said deputy director of the zoo, Sanath Kumar.
Through CCTV footage, zoo caretakers saw a portion of the foetus (dead cub) in the birth canal. “She was provided with electrolytes in water and continuous monitoring was on. At about 3.35 am, Rewa delivered the stillborn cub, and the full monstrous foetus came out, leading to internal bleeding. She was found dead soon after the foetus came out from the birth canal,” Kumar added.
On Saturday, the lioness delivered three cubs, including a stillborn, between 9.33 am and 5.56 pm. Both the surviving cubs were rejected by Rewa, and they were shifted to the neonatal ICU for hand-rearing. The cubs are currently under observation and care.
Dr Bhagirathi Panigrahi, professor, department of livestock production at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), said a big foetus cannot be carried in the uterus and the animal is not able to deliver. “It is not possible to check captive animals physically to see if there cubs are yet to be born. As it was eight-years-old, the animal may not have age-related issues, but uterus rupture may have led to its death,” he said.
Rewa was brought in 2020 to Nandankanan from Kamala Nehru zoo in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, when she was four-years-old. Rewa gave birth to eight cubs in three litters, of which six cubs survive.
She previously gave birth to two litters sired by Jeet, producing five cubs, four of whom — Simba, Keshari, Shivam, and Maya — are alive and being hand-reared. Out of her surviving third litter, one cub is male and the other is female. With Rewa’s death and the birth of two cubs, the total lion population at Nandankanan touched 23.
