BHOPAL: Van Vihar National Park’s white tigress Lalita died here last night after suffering from eye cancer for last 2 years. Lalita was being treated continuously for last 20 days. She was 14.

Apart from having less resistance power, age of white tigress is also shorter than their ordinary counterparts. Tigress Lalita was brought at the age of 9 from Nandan Kanan Zoological Park to Van Vihar National Park on April 22, 2009.

Post-mortem of the tigress was conducted by Van Vihar’s wildlife doctor Dr Gupta, Dr Sanyo Johnson of Wildlife SOS and Dr Seema Bhindwale of State Veterinary Research Lab. According to the post-mortem report, her death was caused by asphyxiation due to cancer growth entering her nasal zone.

Samples of the dead tigress were also being send to the Centre for Wildlife and Forensic Laboratory, Veterinary College, Jabalpur and DI Lab, Bhopal. Body of Lalita was consigned to flames after post-mortem.