KARACHI: A young Bengal tiger, imported only two years ago from Belgium, died at the Karachi Zoological Gardens on Saturday, officials said.

Zoo director Fahim Khan said the big cat, which was hardly six years old, died of a gastrointestinal problem.

The tiger, according to sources, had been suffering from a deadly disease for months. Due to digestive problems, the poor animal had reportedly stopped eating and had become unable to move freely due to weakness.

Khan said no negligence could be found on part of the zoo administration which could be attributed to the animal’s death.

Sources said the zoo administration had called quite a few experts to examine the animal but no treatment had proved effective.

The ailing tiger was bought with its mate, aged between three and four years, at a cost of Rs7.1 million from Belgium through a local animal dealer in 2012.

Also read: Bengal tiger at Karachi zoo drifting to death

A Bengal tiger died at the same zoo in 2012 after having remained ill for some time. Zoo officials claimed that the ageing big cat had suffered a third attack of paralysis and couldn’t survive.

National animal of both Bangladesh and India, the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The total population of the endangered species is estimated at fewer than 2,500 individuals in the world.