The Delhi zoo on Thursday celebrated the 10th birthday of tiger Vijay, who was in the news in 2014 for killing a youth who had jumped into his enclosure.
The event started with schoolchildren participating in “Walk for Vijay”.
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“During the walk, the children were told about the need to protect wildlife,” said zoo director Renu Singh.
The walk ended outside the big cat’s enclosure, where a life-sized cardboard cutting of him had been put up. The cardboard was then garlanded with flowers by the children.
Later, Vijay was treated to his favourite meat and the kids cut a cake for him.
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Zoo joint director Raja Ram Singh said: “We did not disturb Vijay on Thursday and ensured that people did not go too close to his enclosure.”
The white tiger lives with another big cat Kalpana, with whom he had fathered five cubs in 2015.
The zoo authorities said there should be no reason for not celebrating Vijay’s birthday because of what happened three years ago. “His reaction to the man was instinctual and he did what any wild animal would have done in the same situation,” said the officials.
The zoo now plans to hold many such events as part of its wildlife conservation programme.
“We want to educate the public, especially children, about wildlife diversity. Thursday’s event gave the schoolkids a chance to learn about the different species of the big cat,” said Ms. Singh. She added that Vijay was selected to start this programme because he was among the most popular animals there.
The zoo will next celebrate the 54th birthday of Rita, a chimpanzee who is the oldest animal there.
(With inputs from Vasundhara Dudeja)