Mumbai: SGNP's oldest leopard Rani dies at age 18

Rani was a favourite among SGNP staff due to her calm temperament

Rani was a favourite among SGNP staff due to her calm temperament

Rani wasn't just the reigning queen of Sanjay Gandhi National Park because of her name - at 18 years, she was the oldest living captive leopard there. She passed away yesterday, after being unwell for the past few days, two years after her mate Raja died in October 2014, aged 20. Until then, he had held the title of the oldest captive leopard at the park's leopard rescue centre.

Royal couple
She was brought to the park in 1999, when she was a three-month-old cub. She was found in a field after being abandoned by her mother. She was called Krishna then, but after she was brought to SGNP, she was rechristened Rani. The royal couple spent more than 15 years together in one large enclosure. After Raja's death, Rani had gone into shock.

"She was the oldest captive resident of SGNP and died at 2 am on Sunday," said SGNP veterinary officer Shailesh Pethe. "She was undergoing treatment for chest infection and local wounds. The post-mortem will be conducted by Bombay Veterinary College pathologists; we expect the report on Wednesday," he added.

SGNP in mourning
SGNP staff are in a state of shock as Rani was popular among them. She was a particular favourite of Anand Bharti, the longest serving chief conservator of forests at SGNP from 1993 to 2004. Raja and Rani had developed an emotional bond with Bharti and his wife, and both leopards would wait every morning for the couple to visit them.

Range forest officer and superintendent of the tiger and lion safari Shailesh Deore said, "Her death is a huge loss for all of us; she was like a family member. The best part about her was that she was very calm and composed. She had gone into shock after Raja, but over the months, she had become normal again."

14
No. of leopards in Sanjay Gandhi National Park

6
Number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Sanjay Gandhi National Park