In encouraging news for tiger conservationists, four cubs were born to a white tigress, Swarna, at Sanjay Gandhi Biological Reserve (Patna zoo) on Monday afternoon amid Holi festivities.
“Swarna and the newborns have been quarantined, and we are ensuring no human interference at this stage. They are being monitored through close-circuit television cameras installed in the safety enclosure. They seem to be doing fine at present,” Nand Kishore, Director of Patna zoo, told DNA.
Zoo officials said Royal Bengal Tiger Bheema is the father of the cubs after a mating programme that was conducted between the parents over three months ago.
“The gender of the cubs is yet to be identified as we have not entered the enclosure and are likely to avoid doing so for the next few days,” Kishore said, adding, “The cubs seem a little unusual, it may be that one or two of them are weak. Hence we don’t want to take any chances of them getting infected.”
According to officials, Swarna was shifted to the delivery ward/night house last week, after completing three months of her term, and special care was taken during her pregnancy.
“She was given iron and calcium supplements apart from increasing her daily meat diet,” Kishore said adding that she was regularly checked by a veterinarian.
The zoo director said the new mother would avoid food in her post-partum days but consumed chicken soup that was served to her. In 2012, Swarna had delivered three cubs but none survived.
“However, in 2014, three out of four cubs she delivered survived,” he said, adding that the newborns will be kept away from public view for the next several months.
