Guinness World Records: 25-year-old Bengali is world's oldest living tiger under captivity

Bengali, the world's oldest living tiger in captivity lives in Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in Texas, United States, and will celebrate her 26th birthday on August 31. The 25-year old tiger has set the Guinness World Record by living way past a tiger’s usual lifespan of 10-15 years. Before Bengali, India’s 26-year-old Guddu was the oldest living tiger in captivity who later died in 2014.

Tiger Creek Sanctuary informed, "Typically, tigers live 15-20 years in captivity and only about 12 years in the wild. Our oldest resident, Bengali, has more than surpassed these expectations with her current age!"

The tigress belongs to an endangered subspecies of tigers that are native to the Indian subcontinent. 

Memories with Bengali

Bengali was brought to the sanctuary in 2000 and was very shy in nature. She used to hide from whoever came to visit the sanctuary. She then gradually adjusted to the new place and now interacts with the visitors. 

The 25-year old tiger is fed several times a day and her favorite meal is blood popsicles. She gives herself baths and takes long naps under shady spots. The tigress has never given birth to tiger cubs for the past two decades.

Speaking on the fond memories of Bengali, the staff of the Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary said that they remember when they celebrated her 21st birthday. Other than throwing a party, they got her an empty keg which the tiger played with, pouncing and lying on it for the rest of her birthday.

International Tiger Day

Every year, July 29th is observed as International Tiger Day to create awareness about the need for the conservation of tigers across the world. In 2010, the Declaration of Saint Petersburg on Tiger Conservation was signed. It was decided at the conference to declare July 29 as Global Tiger Day around the world in order to raise awareness about tiger protection. 

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) data, in the last 150 years, the population of tigers has come down by 95 percent. To date, the population of tigers globally stands at 3,900 only. 

(Image credit: UNSPALSH)