Tigress Julie Passes Away at Tirupati Zoo

A five-year-old tigress named Julie died at Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park due to intestinal torsion and further complications. The tigress had an injury in early June that led to stifle joint dislocation and subsequent health deterioration. Julie was brought to Tirupati Zoo from Lucknow in February.

A five-year-old tigress, Julie, succumbed to ill health at Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (Tirupati Zoo) on Sunday, officials reported.

The big cat died at 11.30 am, with a post-mortem conducted by SV Veterinary University Pathology team revealing that Julie suffered from intestinal torsion.

'The veterinary doctors determined that the tigress died due to twists in the small intestine,' said a Tirupati Zoo official in a press release.

In addition to the intestinal condition, an injury from early June was discovered during a closer examination, showing damage to the ventral part of her abdomen.

Julie subsequently had difficulty consuming food or water and later suffered from stifle joint dislocation and fracture.

Despite treatment efforts, Julie stopped eating properly, which eventually led to her death.

The tigress was received at Tirupati Zoo on February 13 this year as part of an animal exchange programme with Lucknow's Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Park.

(With inputs from agencies.)