The female White Tiger at the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo died on Friday morning due to multiple organ failure caused by old age. Her body was cremated around 4 pm after completing the necropsy procedures.

Malar, the 17-year-old White Tiger, was brought to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo from the Delhi National Zoological Park in 2014 along with a male White Tiger, Shravan.

Malar was removed from public display last year following age-related illness and was being cared for in a special enclosure. As she was unable to chew meat, she was fed a diet of minced meat, milk, and eggs. She was also receiving geriatric care, which is provided to elderly animals.

Her condition began to worsen, and she died on Friday morning around 6 am.

White Tigers generally have a shorter lifespan of only 12 years and poorer health compared to regular Bengal tigers. However, White Tigers in zoos can live up to 16-18 years.

A recessive gene, SLC45A2, is responsible for White Tigers' colour variation. As they are bred exclusively in zoos, extensive inbreeding has resulted in poorer eyesight, bone quality, and immune systems than in Bengal tigers.

The necropsy was conducted in accordance with the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) guidelines by a team led by Dr Harish C from the State Institute for Animal Diseases, Palode, and by Zoo Veterinary Surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran. The veterinary surgeon stated that the cause of death was multiple organ failure due to old age.

Zoo Director Manjula Devi, Superintendent Rajesh V S, Curator Sangeetha, Biologist Shwetha Mukundan, Livestock Inspector Jijo, Lab Assistant Rajesh, and Supervisors Rajesh, Vasudevan, and Ramachandran were among those present.

After Malar's death, the zoo is left with one male White Tiger, Shravan, and three Bengal tigers.