May be the Tigress is Not Pregnant at all
Vadodara, Gujarat (India):
After all the hype and excitement about the arrival of tiny striped members at Sayaji Baug Zoo, it could be that Siddhi, the seven-year-old tigress is not pregnant at all.
A few days have passed since she was expected to deliver cubs. Though it’s not too late to give up the anxious wait, experts at the zoo fear that it’s a case of ‘pseudo’ pregnancy. Officials were quite excited over Siddhi’s pregnancy as they prepared for the birth of cubs in captivity after 13 years. Doctors say Siddhi is showing all signs of being pregnant and is still under constant vigil for the past fortnight.Siddhi, who was brought from Rajkot zoo, is believed to have mated with Gabbar here in June and was expected to give birth last week. But all she has done is continue the zoo keepers’ wait. But they have not given up hope yet.
Sayaji Baug veterinary doctor C B Patel says, “The normal gestation period for a tigress is between 104 and 115 days. We will give her couple of days more. But we always doubted that the pregnancy was fake.”
He says larger feline and canine species have a tendency of psuedo pregnancy, wherein the female demonstrates all physical signs of being pregnant, but it remains more psychological.
Siddhi’s bulging stomach, the difference in her gait, the careful sitting posture and other changes in behaviour led zoo keepers to believe that her mating with Gabbar had been successful.
‘‘The only way of confirming the pregnancy is through x-rays or sonography for which we will need to tranquilise the cat. But we don’t but want to take any chances as it might have effect the foetuses,” he says.
Ever since the last births in captivity 13 years ago, Sayaji Baug zoo has been making efforts to breed big cats in captivity. If Siddhi delivers, it would be great news for zoo authorities.But for now, the wait continues.
Oct 09, 2005
Ahmedabad Newsline, Express News Service
Vadodara, Gujarat (India):After all the hype and excitement about the arrival of tiny striped members at Sayaji Baug Zoo, it could be that Siddhi, the seven-year-old tigress is not pregnant at all.
A few days have passed since she was expected to deliver cubs. Though it’s not too late to give up the anxious wait, experts at the zoo fear that it’s a case of ‘pseudo’ pregnancy. Officials were quite excited over Siddhi’s pregnancy as they prepared for the birth of cubs in captivity after 13 years. Doctors say Siddhi is showing all signs of being pregnant and is still under constant vigil for the past fortnight.Siddhi, who was brought from Rajkot zoo, is believed to have mated with Gabbar here in June and was expected to give birth last week. But all she has done is continue the zoo keepers’ wait. But they have not given up hope yet.
Sayaji Baug veterinary doctor C B Patel says, “The normal gestation period for a tigress is between 104 and 115 days. We will give her couple of days more. But we always doubted that the pregnancy was fake.”
He says larger feline and canine species have a tendency of psuedo pregnancy, wherein the female demonstrates all physical signs of being pregnant, but it remains more psychological.
Siddhi’s bulging stomach, the difference in her gait, the careful sitting posture and other changes in behaviour led zoo keepers to believe that her mating with Gabbar had been successful.
‘‘The only way of confirming the pregnancy is through x-rays or sonography for which we will need to tranquilise the cat. But we don’t but want to take any chances as it might have effect the foetuses,” he says.
Ever since the last births in captivity 13 years ago, Sayaji Baug zoo has been making efforts to breed big cats in captivity. If Siddhi delivers, it would be great news for zoo authorities.But for now, the wait continues.
Oct 09, 2005
Ahmedabad Newsline, Express News Service
