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Journalism of Courage
After the death of 22-year-old Anita,the purebred Asiatic lioness at the Byculla Zoo,hybrid Jimmy is the only surviving big cat in the zoo. On Tuesday,Jimmy rested calmly in her enclosure in full view of public,skillfully ignoring their excited calls and claps.
Now with Anita gone,Jimmy is the only big cat left in the zoo. This 12-year-old is special because she was born right here in the zoo,to a hybrid couple, said Dr Sanjay Tripathi,adding that Jimmy now has to fill the star attraction status,with the male lion Amar and Anita having passed away. A zoo attendant added,Most people come here to see the lion and feel satisfied if they just get a glimpse. Jimmy is an African-Asiatic hybrid born on March 28,1998 in the zoo.
Anita was in the hospital for nearly two months. Tripathi said,She was fine till last week and had even started eating solid food making us feel quite optimistic. Suddenly on Friday,she lost her strength to stand up. After that,her health deteriorated and on Saturday her lungs and liver failed her. Tripathi and Dr Komal Pawar,the two vets who took care of Anita till her last breath said,she was under heavy medication and was administered at least four bottles of saline everyday for the past one month. An animal like Anita was too precious and we did everything to extend her life span, they said.
The Mumbai zoo,till the year 2005,was home to at least three species of large cats including two white tigers,five leopards and three lions.
In 2005,the zoo lost both its tigers Sunny and Supriya. The five leopards too passed away gradually of old age,zoo officials said.
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