4 tiger cubs shifted to Tirupati zoo for now

Atmakur (Nandyal): With all efforts to reunite the four abandoned tiger cubs at Pedda Gummadapuram village in Kothapalli mandal of Nandyal district with their mother being proved futile, the forest department officials shifted the cubs to Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati on Thursday night.

Three days ago, on March 6, the villagers of Pedda Gummadapuram village in Kothapalli mandal noticed the tiger cubs in bushes on the outskirts of the village. After rescuing them, the residents provided shelter in the village and later informed the forest department officials.

The officials after taking the cubs into custody shifted them to veterinary hospital for health checkup. They launched search operation 'T108' to trace the mother of the all-female cubs. Around 200 department officials were engaged in two shifts, morning to afternoon and afternoon to night with the help of 50 camera traps to trace the tigress.

Drones were also deployed in the operation that was carried out in 10,000 square kilometre area but to no avail.  Atmakur division forest officer (DFO) Alen Teron said keeping the health conditions of the cubs in mind and to create a pleasant atmosphere for them, they have been shifted to Tirupati.

For two months or so they would be kept in the zoo and later they would again be taken to Nallamala forest. The cubs were in perfect condition under the custody of the forest department all through the reunification ordeal and feasting on mashed chicken liver, royal canin and other brands of milk without sugar, besides ORS and fluid state multivitamins. Estimated by tiger experts to be three months old, the department followed the protocol laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in handling orphaned or abandoned cubs.