Kids here were more than happy to be part of birth anniversary celebrations of three three-year-old white tigers--Rishi, Sitesh and Prachi-at the Nandankanan Zoological Park located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
By Sarada Lahangir
Bhubaneswar, Aug 2 : Kids here were more than happy to be part of birth anniversary celebrations of three three-year-old white tigers--Rishi, Sitesh and Prachi-at the Nandankanan Zoological Park located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
For children, who were among hundreds of participants attending the party, the idea of wishing tigers was an overwhelming experience.
"I have come here for the first time. I am happy to be part of this celebration. Everyone else is also happy," said Kumari Harita, a visitor.
Part of a well-thought out initiative by zoo officials, the birthday celebration was synchronised with a felicitation ceremony of zookeepers.
"We thought we will synchronise the date of the birth of the tiger with the celebration. Basically the idea is to felicitate zookeepers or animal keepers who take care of the animal on day-to-day basis. They are primarily responsible for the state of affairs and condition of the zoo and animals," said Suresh Chand Mohanty, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
Besides, the celebration intended to sensitise people to the dwindling tiger population.
What makes the three tigers - one female and two males - special is that despite the best efforts of the zoo authorities to keep them in separate enclosures, they have literally fought for over two years to remain together.
The trio were finally separated in December 2006 to avoid inbreeding.
They were also among the first three to be born after a tiger related disease at Nandankanan claimed the lives of several animals.
Zoo authorities plan to celebrate more of such birthdays in the coming days.
According to official estimates, there are 3,600 tigers in India, but some wildlife experts say the figure could be less than 2,000.
According to the Indian Tiger Welfare Society, only 12 white tigers have been seen in the wild in India while the rest are in captivity. There are only 200 white tigers left in the world.
ANI