White tiger – Mahesh, the only white tiger in the Gujrat state, underwent a medical inspection on Thursday after he was detected with a tumour in his neck a week ago.
Mahesh was examined by a team of doctors from the Veterinary College, Anand, at Kamala Nehru Zoo in city.
“We suspect that the tumour is a malignant one and therefore have decided to postpone the operation. We collected samples of the tumour for biopsy but are apprehensive about the treatment as the tumor is malignant,” said Dr Pinesh Parikh, a veterinary surgeon and member of the team.
Zoo superintendent, Dr R K Sahu said operating malignant tumours is not advisable. “If the tumour is malignant, we might go in for other options like homeopathy,” he added.
“We will conduct a biopsy and then decide,” said Dr R G Jani, chief wildlife conservator (western region).