In the midst of the coronavirus lockdown, the people of Mumbai finally get a glimpse of the Royal Bengal Tiger Shakti and tigress Karishma swimming in their water enclosures in order to deal with the scorching Mumbai heat. This took place at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Byculla Zoo) on May 5, 2020.
#Mumbai just watch these beauties.... Shakti nd Karishma the #Tiger pair frm Veermata Jijabai Bhosale #Zoo Byculla in thr 3,500 sq-mt enclosure which has an underwater viewing as well as is inspired from #Ranthambore tiger reserve.
— Virat A Singh (@tweetsvirat) May 5, 2020
Images: Dr Sanjay Tripathi, director @drtripzoo pic.twitter.com/Y1nGc6yQuS
The water body designed for the two felines are inspired by the Ranthambore terrain and are unique in its own way. It spreads over a landscape of 3,500 sq. metre full of bamboos, neem trees along with flora and fauna. This was envisioned and constructed before the pair of felines arrived from Aurangabad at an approximate cost of rupees 3.5 crores. According to the zoo officials, the landscape puts forward an ideal condition for the tigers to grow as the Ranthambore national park itself boasts of a dense population of tigers.
After the videos and the images of the tiger and the tigress went viral on different social media platforms, the authorities have decided to start its own YouTube channel to showcase the felines in all their glory. The zoo had gotten approval from the civic body earlier and has now decided to appoint an expert who can make sure that the animals are captured in photographs without any worries so that the content can reach out to maximum people sitting in their homes during this lockdown period.
The zoo had not had a tiger since 2006. It was only in February that the authorities procured a pair from the Siddharth Zoo in Aurangabad under an exchange programme. The Sidhdhart Zoo has exchanged the tigers for two pairs of spotted deer’s and two pairs of painted storks. However, under unfortunate circumstances, the zoo had to be closed down around mid-march as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak for which the people could not catch a glimpse of these regal felines. Apart from the tigers, the zoo also hosts a pair of leopards that were brought in from Mangaluru’s Pilikula zoo in April 2019. Furthermore, the zoo boasts of eight Humboldt penguins; three males and five females, all from South Korea which were sent to the zoo back in 2016 and has been on display since March 2017.
In the midst of the lockdown, the Byculla zoo gets a new-born Jackal Pup. It was born to a Jackal pair that arrived in Byculla zoo on April 28, 2019, from Managaluru. The pup was discovered by the zoo officials last week. However, no new news of the recent developments has surfaced.
Share
Tweet
