Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 8 (IANS): Lioness Tejaswini, paralyzed since the past few months, has died at the Lion Safari in Etawah.

The ailing big cat had stopped eating as its health had worsened a few days ago.

Safari deputy director A.K. Singh said the big cat was about 20 years old.

The carcass would now be sent to IVRI Centre in Bareilly for post-mortem, he said.

Tejaswini was brought from Gujarat on September 26, 2019.

It was expected that the Tejaswini would increase the clan here, therefore, it was mated with male lions but it could not give birth to any cub.

It may be recalled that in June this year Asiatic lion Manan, who fathered many cubs and played a major role in increasing the population of Asiatic lions in the state, died at Etawah Lion Safari.

Authorities said the 14-year-old Manan was confirmed to be suffering from skin cancer.

A test was conducted on Manan by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Research, Bareilly. A surgery to remove a lump on the big cat's lower waist was also being considered.

The Safari administration had also written to the Indian Wildlife Research Institute, Bareilly, to send an expert, but Manan's body temperature was found to be high and the big cat was breathing through his mouth. Manan was born in 2008 in Junagadh.