Monday, March 30, 2015

Zoo ready to barter tiger for Asiatic lion.


Kanpur Zoo is ready to barter some of its tigers for a pair of Asiatic lions. Discussions are already underway with Rajkot, Jaipur and Bhopal zoos in this regard.

Zoo director Mukesh Kumar said, "We want to have both a pair of lion and tigers. It will be easy for us to barter tigers for lions." The zoo currently has six tigers, including a pair of white tiger.

As per Central Zoo Authority (CZA) guidelines, getting Asiatic animals is not an easy proportion. As per exchange programme, a big sized animal or an animal on verge of extinction coming under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 have to be bartered for giant animals like lions.

Currently, the zoo has three tigresses, including Trusha, its daughter Chitra and white tigress Savitri. However, Chitra is yet to attain the age of mating. Same is the case with white tiger Luv, who is merely one-and-a-half- year-old.

Hence, zoo veterinarians are chalking out a mating plan for Savitri, which arrived from Vizag Zoo on March 3. Zoo officials said that it had adjusted to the new environment.

Zoo vet RK Singh said, "We will have to mate Savitri with a yellow tiger. The idea is to introduce a new bloodline. But we do not have more space to accommodate any more tigers. Therefore, giving away a tiger or a pair of it can help us in getting some other animal may be Asiatic lion."

Among the giant animals which can be roped in via barter are Giraffe and Cheetah to name a few.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Zoo-ready-to-barter-tiger-for-Asiatic-lion/articleshow/46519272.cms

No comments: