White tiger, colourful birds in Indore zoo soon

A white tiger from Bhillai and more than half-a-dozen birds from Hyderabad with strikingly coloured plumage will soon call Indore zoo home, courtesy the animal exchange programme of the Central Zoo Authority.

A white tiger and more than half-a-dozen birds with strikingly coloured plumage will soon call Indore zoo home, courtesy the animal exchange programme of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

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The Indore zoo will get a male tiger from Bhilai and eight birds from Hyderabad under the programme. In return, it will hand over a pair of peacocks and a pair of king cobras to Hyderabad, said Dr Uttam Yadav, veterinarian and incharge, Indore zoo, named Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya.

The Indore zoo currently has more than a dozen big cats. "The zoo has white tigresses. So we're trying to get a white tiger," said Dr Yadav. The avian population at the zoo stands at around 200. Dr Yadav said if need be, new cages would be built for the new birds.

"We are getting clearances for the trip and will leave next week. If all goes well the tiger and the birds should reach the zoo in 8-10 days," said Yadav, who will personally travel to the two cities for the exchange.

Indore has imported several programmes from zoological parks across the country under the CZA's auspices. The last instance was when B1, a man-eating yellow tiger, was brought from Bhopal. The tiger was mated with Shivani, a white tigress housed at the zoo. The union produced four cubs, but only one of them survived.