White tiger cubs enthral visitors in Tirupati zoo
Tirupati: About six-months-old white tiger cubs have become the latest attraction in Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati. They were born to two white tigers Sameer and Rani.
Among them Sameer was earlier brought from Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, while Rani was born to another couple in this Zoo only. With these latest additions, in all there are 13 white tigers in the Zoo Park here, to enthral the visitors which include eight adults and five cubs.
These five cubs were kept inside with the mother only since they were born and released into the tiger enclosure on Friday. Minister for Environment and Forests Balineni Sreenivas Reddy has named these cubs.
The three male cubs were named as Jagan, Vasu and Siddhan while the two female cubs are christened Vijaya and Durga. Interestingly, he gave Chief Minister Jagan's name to one of the cubs.
Zoo curator M Babitha has said that after birth the initial months are critical for them to survive. For this reason they were put inside only without any human interference so that the mother will take care of its cubs. They are good and healthy now and taking chicken and beef since mother stopped feeding them, she said.
The zoo has several attractions including a lion safari. In the Zoo Park, the animals were being exhibited in wider and near natural enclosures resembling their natural habitat. It has been developed on a mythological theme with the depiction of Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, and Narasimha avatars, the incarnations of Lord Vishnu at the entrance.
Zoo authorities have been making efforts to bring in Asiatic lion soon from Gir National Park, Gujarat under exchange programme along with Himalayan black bear. The TTD has been building a nocturnal house inside the zoo to house various nocturnal animals like civet cats, owls, bats and jungle cats etc., The tiger safari is also ready but has to be opened as now the tigers are in acclimatisation stage.
In a bid to protect environment and zoo inmates from air pollution, cycles were introduced which can be hired by visitors and get chilled by riding them in the pleasant atmosphere.