5:26 AM
Kolkata zoo begins captive breeding of tigers to increase their number
A PAIR of Royal Bengal tigers has been .selected for captive breeding to increase the number of the big cats at the Zoological Gardens. "To begin with, we have selected one pair. After the summer heat goes down we will gradually select more pairs." zoo director K I. Ghosh told PT1.
An aluminum sheet which separated a male and a female tiger in a cage has been removed so that the two animals could acquaint them-selves he tore matine'. Ghosh said Earlier male and the female tigers could not see each other. Now they can see and smell each other." he said. It was planned that later the pairs would be kept in a single enclosure resembling their natural habitats so that the endangered species could breed.
"We are making the process very natural for tigers. We arc not in a hurry to get cubs and can even wail till next year." Ghosh said.
At present, the zoo has five Bengal tigers three males and two females, ll also fail three while- tigers, including a male. Zoo officials said that it was planned to mate a white tiger, which has a rare pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, with an ordinary one. "In such a case, the cub can be both white or yellow in colour," they said.
The ZOO had a captive breeding programme earlier which was suspended in 2005. Permission for mating has been given by the state zoo authority. The ZOO director said the breeding would help conservation of the big cats as their numbers had diminished in the wild.
Plans were also afoot to extend the breeding programme to lions.
"Once we are successful in tiger breeding then we will go for lions as well." a zoo official said. Besides three hybrid lions, the zoo has a pair of Asiatic lions brought from the Hyderabad zoo three years ago.
Since the Central Zoo Authority has strongly recommended against the breeding of hybrids, the Asiatic lions would he the choice
An aluminum sheet which separated a male and a female tiger in a cage has been removed so that the two animals could acquaint them-selves he tore matine'. Ghosh said Earlier male and the female tigers could not see each other. Now they can see and smell each other." he said. It was planned that later the pairs would be kept in a single enclosure resembling their natural habitats so that the endangered species could breed.
"We are making the process very natural for tigers. We arc not in a hurry to get cubs and can even wail till next year." Ghosh said.
At present, the zoo has five Bengal tigers three males and two females, ll also fail three while- tigers, including a male. Zoo officials said that it was planned to mate a white tiger, which has a rare pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, with an ordinary one. "In such a case, the cub can be both white or yellow in colour," they said.
The ZOO had a captive breeding programme earlier which was suspended in 2005. Permission for mating has been given by the state zoo authority. The ZOO director said the breeding would help conservation of the big cats as their numbers had diminished in the wild.
Plans were also afoot to extend the breeding programme to lions.
"Once we are successful in tiger breeding then we will go for lions as well." a zoo official said. Besides three hybrid lions, the zoo has a pair of Asiatic lions brought from the Hyderabad zoo three years ago.
Since the Central Zoo Authority has strongly recommended against the breeding of hybrids, the Asiatic lions would he the choice
Posted in: News 2014
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