The incident took place in the North Bengal Wild Animals Park, also known as the Bengal Safari Park, on Thursday. “It is a tragic incident. Last week Rika, a female royal Bengal tiger, gave birth to three cubs. On Thursday she was trying to get her cubs to the night shelter inside the enclosure. The mother accidentally bit the necks of the cubs while trying to lift them,” said a zoo official.

“The teeth of the mother punctured the windpipe of the cubs. The skin of newborn cubs are very fragile and thin. Two of the cubs died on the spot, while another was critically injured. Despite our best efforts, the third cub died on Friday night. We will have to be more careful in such situations so that such tragedies do not repeat. Rika is in mourning,” added the official.

Speaking to reporters, zoo director Vijay Kumar confirmed that the cubs died because of their mother’s mistake, adding that an investigation was underway to understand the circumstances that led to the deaths.

The behaviour of Rika is being watched closely, officials said.

The North Bengal Wild Animals Park is spread over 297 acres near Siliguri town and is a major tourist attraction. The tiger safari was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2017.

Besides tigers, the zoo also boasts of animals such as rhinos, elephants, deer and Asiatic black bears.