Baby hippo, gaur big draws at Delhi zoo; white tiger cubs to be revealed soon

While the baby gaur was born on April 1, the hippopotamus calf was born on March 11. With this, the zoo now has six hippos, four of which are adults. Meanwhile, the gaur count has increased to 10, following the birth of the gaur calf, officials said

Updated on: Apr 6, 2023, 24:23:36 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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A hippopotamus and a gaur (also known as the Indian bison) were born at the National Zoological Park in Delhi last month, both of which were released into the animal enclosure for public viewing, officials said on Wednesday. The zoo is also planning to release its two white tiger cubs in the open soon, making it their first appearance in front of the public since they were born in August last year. Zoo officials said the white tiger cubs have not only grown stronger but have also received all vaccines required for public viewing purposes.

On August 24, 2022, three white tiger cubs were born to the white tigress Sita but only two survived. (Credit: Delhi zoo)

“The two white tiger cubs received the last of their vaccines in the last week of March and we can soon release them into the white tiger enclosure. After all necessary precautions are taken, it is likely they will be available for public viewing by the end of April,” said Akanksha Mahajan, director of the Delhi zoo.

On August 24, 2022, three white tiger cubs were born to the white tigress Sita, making it the first time in seven years that there was successful breeding of white tigers at the Delhi zoo. However, in December, one of the cubs died after falling ill.

In February this year, 17-year-old white tigress, Vina Rani, also died at the zoo, owing to complications arising from old age. With this, there are five white tigers at the zoo, including the two cubs, their mother, and two adult males. These tigers are white in colour owing to the lack of the pigment pheomelanin in their bodies, which is found in Royal Bengal tigers that makes their fur orange. Currently, there are four Royal Bengal tigers at the Delhi zoo.

Mahajan said the latest birth among animals includes the baby gaur, which was born on April 1, while the hippopotamus calf was born on March 11. With this, the zoo now has six hippos, four of which are adults. Meanwhile, the gaur count has increased to 10, following the birth of the gaur calf.

“We had a gaur baby last year too and now this new calf was born recently. Visitors at the zoo are taking to the hippo baby in particular as it stays in the open pond enclosure with its mother,” Mahjan added. Currently, there are over 90 different animal species at the Delhi zoo, with the white tiger being one of the zoological park’s star attractions in recent years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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