According to reports, the zoo authorities stated, the tigress had become weak and her post-mortem revealed high creatinine levels.
Her carcass was cremated on Thursday and only a few officials were allowed to attend the cremation ceremony, given the current scenario.
An official from the Environment Ministry said her sample was sent for coronavirus testing just to be sure and to rule out the possibility. He said:
Samples have been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, for coronavirus testing.
Later, research officials confirmed the samples that were collected tested negative. They said:
As per Central Zoo Authority advisory issued in this regard, samples were collected after ensuring all bio-security measures and were sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly. Later, IVRI confirmed that tigress Kalpana was found negative for COVID-19.
He also claims that the tigress might have died due to dehydration. These were his exact words:
The tigress seems to have died due to dehydration. A senior veterinary officer from Jabalpur advised the zoo officials to administer saline through rectum, as it is easier to absorb in the body this way, but the zoo staff did not do it
Singh further alleges that no senior official was present during the cremation, which is in violation of the rules.
Naturally, netizens were heartbroken to hear this tragic news. They condoled Kalpana’s death and prayed for her soul.
Kalpana died at 6:30 PM on Wednesday.