Guest guest Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Is this a conservation or a cosmetic exercise? With the exception of Billy Arjan Singh's Tara, no tiger from captivity has ever been reintroduced into the wild. But conservation can sell zoo tickets and by the same token, white tigers are sure fire crowd pullers. On 5/21/08, AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 wrote: > > Link: > http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080521/jsp/guwahati/story_9297437.jsp > > *Zoo mulls tiger trade-off with Bhopal* > A STAFF REPORTER > > *May 20:* After hoolock gibbons from Shillong, now it could be a white > tigress from Bhopal. > > The Assam state zoo is thinking of bringing in a " crowd puller " in exchange > for a male tiger from Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal. This trade-off has > come as a request from the national park for its conservation breeding > programme. > > " We have not taken a decision, but we thinking of getting a white tiger. We > just have to say yes and the white tiger will arrive in no time, " the > divisional forest officer of the Assam state zoo, Narayan Mahanta, said. In > exchange, the state zoo will send a male tiger to the national park. > > At present, the zoo has 11 tigers, of which seven are male. There is demand > for Assam zoo tigers as they are considered to be of genetically good > breed. > > Mahanta said the Central Zoo Authority had identified both Van Vihar > National Park and the Assam state zoo for breeding of tigers. > > The national park in Bhopal has 11 young tigresses, including three white > ones. But they do have any partner for the past five months because of the > death of male tigers in the park. The park has brought a male tiger from > Kanha National Park. The tiger from Assam zoo would be the second. > > Salini Sharma, an animal lover and frequent visitor to the zoo, said a > white > tiger would add to the zoo's collection of tigers. " Assam zoo has one of > the > best collections of tigers. All we are missing is a white tiger, " she > added. > > Mahanta said the chances of a white tigress giving birth to white cubs > after > mating with a normal tiger was 50-50. > > Two cubs had been born to Govardana and Divya in the state zoo recently, > taking the tiger count in the zoo to 11. > > Mahanta said the zoo could keep 10 tigers comfortably and if they brought > in > a white tigress, they would have to give away another tiger. " This will not > be a problem as we have received inquiries about tigers from all over the > country, " he added. > > Borako Zoo has also been in touch with the state zoo for tigers. The > Central > Zoo Authority has asked the state zoo to inquire about the facilities in > Borako Zoo before taking a decision to send tigers to that zoo, Mahanta > said. > > " We have no problems in providing tigers to Van Vihar as it is a national > park. But we think twice before sending tigers to a zoo. All zoos are not > like Assam zoo, which is considered to be one of the best in the country, " > he added. > > -- > United against elephant polo > http://www.stopelephantpolo.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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