The animal lovers and tourists visiting Goa’s Bondla Zoo can now catch a glimpse of the Royal Bengal tiger, brought here in exchange for a pair of bisons.
The Chief Minister Digamber Kamat along with forest minister Philip Nery Rodrigues will formally add the felines to the caged wild animals on Friday.
“The tigers from Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, were kept away from public viewing for almost a month now, to give them peace and quiet. They were quarantined and are now ready for public display,” the Deputy conservator of forest Debendra Dalai said.
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A new enclosure, which earlier housed a family of Lion comprising of father, mother and two females here till 2003, is assigned for the tigers--Rana (male) and Sandhya (female).
The Lion family that remained Zoo’s prime attraction perished and the last amongst them died in 2003 leaving the enclosure vacant.
“Lions always live in group and cannot face loneliness. May be that’s the reason they died one after another,” Mr. Dalai reasoned.
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The tigers, procured in exchange of bisons, will be shifted to the new enclosure, which comprises two roofed shelters and a backup area for the beasts to hang around.