Chhattisgarh tigress ‘Bijli’ dies during treatment at Gujarat’s Vantara; delay in CZA nod questioned

Raipur – Tigress ‘Bijli’ from the Nandanvan Jungle Safari in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, died on Friday during treatment at the Vantara Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, sparking questions about the delay in her treatment and transfer.

Vantara administration confirmed the death on social media on 10 October 2025. Mr. Arun Kumar Pandey, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Chhattisgarh, also confirmed the development.

Pandey stated that the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and a medical team from the Jungle Safari left for Jamnagar soon after receiving the news. Bijli’s cremation is scheduled to take place in Jamnagar.

Bijli, an eight-year-old tigress, had been unwell for some time, reportedly refusing food for ten days prior to her transfer. Initial diagnoses pointed towards a gastrointestinal issue, but later tests, including haematological and ultrasound, revealed kidney and uterine-oral infections.

The Forest Department decided to shift her to the advanced facility at Vantara for better care. They wrote to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for permission, but the approval process reportedly took ten days. This delay is now under scrutiny.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey raised concerns, questioning the delay in decision-making and the logic of transporting the ailing animal over such a long distance.

“Given her medical condition, it does not seem appropriate that she should have travelled the distance from Raipur to Jamnagar,” Mr. Dubey said. He added that earlier intervention could perhaps have saved the tigress.

Bijli was shifted via the Howrah-Ahmedabad Express on 7 October 2025 and reached Gujarat on the night of 9 October.

A team of specialist veterinarians from Vantara had arrived in Raipur on 5 October at the request of the Forest Department. The Vantara team noted that the tigress appeared weak and ill, with serious digestive and kidney function issues, besides the uterine infection.

The CZA granted permission on 6 October, and Bijli was shifted to Vantara’s advanced surgical care unit. She died while undergoing treatment.

Bijli holds sentimental value for the Chhattisgarh safari as she was the first cub of the male tiger, ‘Shivaji’, who was brought from Gujarat when the Jungle Safari was inaugurated nine years ago.