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Mumbai · Thursday, 17 September 2026

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When you visit Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Bijalee won’t be there

By Sohail Khan 17 September 2026, 3:04 pm

Bijalee, an 18-year-old tigress and one of the major crowd-pullers at Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), has died due to age-related health issues, taking the tiger count in the national park to 11.

According to the forest officials, Bijalee died at around 9.45 pm on Wednesday, September 16, while she was undergoing veterinary treatment.

The SGNP administration on Thursday said that a standard post-mortem examination would be conducted to determine the exact cause of her death.

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Bijalee’s death also comes six months after a 15-year-old lion,  Bharat, died in the park due to age complications.

“While the preliminary assessment is that Bijalee died due to old age, the post-mortem examination is expected to establish the exact cause of death,” an official said.

According to the SGNP administration, the national park authorities had been monitoring her health after observing a gradual decline in her food intake. She was also being provided veterinary and supportive treatment.

Bijalee was brought to SGNP from Pench Tiger Reserve in July 2016 to boost tourism. Bijalee’s presence in SGNP became part of the park’s wildlife management, conservation education and captive animal care efforts, the administration said.

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During her years at SGNP, Bijalee became a familiar attraction for visitors and was also closely associated with the veterinary and animal-care teams at the park. The administration said that her presence had brought immense joy to the visitors.

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