The thunderous roar of a tiger echoed through the mini zoo at Shri Renukaji in Sirmaur after the first-ever transfer of Royal Bengal tigers to the state from the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur was successfully completed on Sunday afternoon.
Two pairs of red junglefowl were granted to the Gorewada zoo in exchange. They were chosen from the list of wildlife provided by Renukaji zoo officials.
Putting an end to the 11-year wait of wildlife enthusiasts, the tiger pair is the latest entrant to the zoo after its last lion died in 2015. The transfer of the young animals will strengthen the zoo’s conservation breeding programme, with the tigress being just two-and-a-half years old and the tiger five years old.
Covering a distance of 1,900 km, the tiger pair was transported under the supervision of a seven-member team led by a Deputy Conservator of Forests over 41-43 hours. The journey, which began on September 18, ended at the Renukaji zoo on Sunday afternoon.
With Bengal tigers making their presence felt in the Paonta Sahib area and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve being in the vicinity in Uttarakhand, the area has a conducive habitat for housing tigers.
The two animals were rescued from different areas of Maharashtra where human-animal conflicts had been reported. Keeping in view their inclination to become ferocious, they have been kept in separate enclosures spread across six hectares and will be put together once they become familiar with each other. The zoo staff is meanwhile closely observing their behaviour.
The zoo earlier had a pair of lions, Raja and Rani, brought from Junagadh in 1975, who served as its main attraction. Though their number multiplied to 32 over time, they gradually died following inbreeding. The authorities are yet to christen the newly acquired cats.
The officials followed an arduous process spanning several years, during which key formalities, such as constructing a lion enclosure as per the requisite design and securing its approval from the Central Zoo Authority, were completed before approval from the Maharashtra government was procured on August 15.
Divisional Forest Officer Wildlife (Shimla) Dr Shahnawaz Bhat said the animals are wild-rescued tigers.
Years were spent setting up a modern enclosure spread over nearly half a hectare at a cost of Rs 1.67 crore. Designed in accordance with prescribed standards, the facility includes a night shelter, feeding cubicles and other infrastructure required for the safe housing and management of the big cats.
A veterinary hospital has also been constructed at a cost of around Rs 25 lakh within the zoo, where a veterinary doctor has been deployed to ensure timely medical care for the animals.
The zoo currently houses species such as leopards, Himalayan black bears, sambar, chital and barasingha, with the zoo safari being a key attraction for visitors. The presence of the tiger pair will give impetus to wildlife lovers waiting to catch a glimpse of the royal cats in Himachal Pradesh.
