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| - Fact Check: No, Raja the Royal Bengal was not the world's oldest tiger
A 25-year-old Royal Bengal tiger which died in captivity on July 11 in North Bengal was not the world's oldest tiger. AFWA's investigation found that the world's oldest Royal Bengal tiger resides at the Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas.
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India Today Fact Check
Raja was the oldest tiger in captivity in India. However, the world’s oldest living tiger is a Royal Bengal named Bengali, who resides at Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas, US.
Raja, a 25-year-old Royal Bengal tiger, died in captivity on July 11 at the Khairbari Rescue Centre in North Bengal. Following the tiger’s death, many on social media claimed that at the age of 25 years and 10 months, Raja was the world’s oldest living tiger in captivity.
AFWA’s investigation found that the world’s oldest Royal Bengal tiger resides at the Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas, United States.
AFWA Probe
While investigating the claim, we found a West Bengal Forest Department tweet.
When he came to Khayerbari Rescue Centre in 2008, terribly injured in a fight with a #crocodile, he was 11. He survived thanks to dedicated vets and our staff. But today, Raja left us forever. At 26, he was one of India’s oldest surviving #tigers. We will miss him always pic.twitter.com/2RBQ0BfYKx — West Bengal Forest Department (@ForestDeptWB) July 11, 2022
It stated that when Raja arrived at the rescue centre in 2008, he was 11. It added, “At 26, he was one of India’s oldest surviving tigers.”
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News reports in the Hindustan Times and the Times of India also reported that Raja was India’s oldest living tiger in captivity.
We got in touch with Indian Forest Service officer Deepak M, the DFO of Jaldapara Forest. “We have never said that Raja was the world’s oldest living tiger. But, undoubtedly, he was one of the oldest living tigers in the world. Actually, when he was rescued in 2008, the veterinarian estimated his age to be 11 years. That’s why we are saying he survived till 25,” he told India Today.
Who is the oldest Royal Bengal tiger in the world?
According to Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest living tiger is a Royal Bengal called Bengali. Presently, he is lodged at Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas, US.
On February 14, 2021, Bengali officially became the world’s oldest living tiger at the age of 25 years 319 days. This August 31, Bengali will complete 27.
Hence, we concluded that Raja was the oldest Royal Bengal tiger in captivity in India. But Bengali of Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas is the world’s oldest living tiger.
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