A tigress at the Delhi zoo was killed by a tiger when the two were left for mating.
According to zoo officials, ten-year-old Royal Bengal tigress Zinzin was killed yesterday by a tiger brought in a month ago from Mysore zoo for breeding purposes.
The zoo is now left with five tigers.
"The male tiger was released into the enclosure of the tigress yesterday. The tiger attacked her and did not let go, killing her," said Riyaz Khan, zoo curator (education).
The two were left for mating, he said.
The zoo officials tried intervening to stop the fight. However, the male tiger had caught hold of the Bengal tigress.
Although such incidents are normal in the wild, but it was for the first time that Delhi zoo has suffered such a fatality, he said.
Currently, the Delhi zoo is home to five Royal Bengal tigers --three males and two female. There are also six white tigers.
Recently, a female white tigress was sent along with other animals to Thiruvananthapuram zoo as a part of inter-zoo exchange programme.
