Fact Check: Was Raja the oldest living tiger in captivity?
Raja, a 25-year-old Royal Bengal tiger, died in captivity on 11 July at the Khairbari Rescue Center in north Bengal. Several social media users and websites reported and shared their condolences. However, they claimed that Raja was the world’s oldest living tiger in captivity.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 July 2022 4:45 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Raja, a 25-year-old Royal Bengal tiger, died in captivity on 11 July at the Khairbari Rescue Center in north Bengal. Several social media users and websites reported and shared their condolences. However, they claimed that Raja was the world's oldest living tiger in captivity.
FACT CHECK:
According to a tweet by the West Bengal forest department, Raja arrived at the rescue center in 2008 when he was 11. He was injured in a fight with a crocodile but survived after help from vets and staff. He died at the age of 26 years (25 years and 10 months) on 11 July 2022.
It should be noted that the tweet mentions Raja as "one of India's oldest surviving tigers."
News reports by Hindustan Times and First Post also call Raja one of the oldest tigers in India. "The longest surviving tiger in India, the mighty animal lived in captivity at the South Khairbari Rescue Center in Alipurduar district early on Monday," the report by First Post reads.
According to the Guinness World Records, the world's oldest living tiger in captivity is a Royal Bengal called Bengali. He is currently 26 years old and on 31 August this year, Bengali will be 27 years.
It is clear that Raja was one of the oldest Royal Bengal tigers in captivity in India and not the world.
