Two Bengal Tiger cubs were born to white tigress Diya at Chhatbir Zoo here, officials said on Friday. Diya is about eight years old and the cubs’ sire is Aman, a nine-year-old Bengal Tiger.
In 2019, the white tigress had delivered three cubs, one female and two males. (HT File photo)
Both the cubs are healthy and under Diya’s care and constant CCTV monitoring.
Chhatbir Zoo field director Naresh Mahajan said, “The veterinary wing and zoo management are observing the tigress and the cubs, who were born on May 8. While some privacy has been given to Diya, no one is allowed to go near them except the zookeeper and veterinarian concerned. The cubs will remain under surveillance till they grow bigger.”
This is the second time that Diya has given birth. In 2019, the tigress had delivered three cubs, one female and two males. However, the 18-month-old female cub died on May 9 this year. The cub had been behaving normally till she passed away and was taken for postmortem examination to Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, however, it was found to be a natural death.
The cub was also tested for Covid-19, but the results came out negative. All other carnivores at Chhatbir Zoo have also been tested.
Meanwhile, the zoo is closed for the public till May 31 to keep the animals safe from Covid. After the first virus wave in 2020, the zoo had been closed in March and was reopened in December last year.