The huge enclosure in the ‘Breeding Cell’ at Vandalur Zoo is inaccessible to anyone now, as it houses Akansha, the white tigress and her four young female cubs.
Zoo officials monitor the mother and her cubs, 24x7, through closed circuit television camera. Only two animal keepers, who come in shifts, are allowed inside the enclosure.
Authorities said the cubs were delivered by the tigress on September 12. Since then, no one has been allowed near the enclosure as it would agitate the mother, posing a threat to the survival of the cubs.
K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, additional principal chief conservator of forests and zoo director, said that in order to improve the health of cubs born to white tigers, the zoo had launched the ‘Genetic Profile Upgradation’ programme sometime ago. Under this, a female white tigress is allowed to mate with a normal male, to avoid the problems caused by recessive genes in white tiger couples.
Akansha has mated with Vijay, a normal tiger, twice and on both occasions, successfully delivered cubs. Another tigress, Namrutha successfully delivered cubs once, he said.
The cubs are healthy and are feeding on their mother’s milk. They are still crawling and playing inside the enclosure. Only in case of an emergency will the veterinarian enter the enclosure. So far, the cubs have not developed any complications, officials said.
