- By Jasreet Kaur
- Tue, 12 Dec 2023 02:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Two Siberian tigers, Lara and Akamas, have been brought to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in West Bengal's Darjeeling. The tigers arrived from Cyprus as part of the international animal exchange programme. They landed at the Kolkata airport and were then transported to Darjeeling in specially designed ambulances.
It's after 12 years that India will be home to Siberian tigers. The last Siberian tiger passed away at the Nainital Zoo, and since November 2011, there have been no Siberian tiger in India. The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, known for its commitment to conservation and breeding programmes, had a Siberian tiger until 2007.
“They are healthy and have been kept in quarantine in separate enclosures and would be shifted to another enclosure for public view after a month,” Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park director Basavraj Holeyachi was quoted by Hindustan Times.
“As a part of the animal exchange programme, we sent a pair of Red Pandas to Cyprus’s Pafos Zoo. The Darjeeling Zoo is internationally recognised for its conservation and breeding programme for the Red Panda. The zoo has 25 Red Pandas,” said Holeyachi.
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park has a history of contributing to wildlife conservation. The park had initiated the first ex-situ snow leopard conservation breeding program in 1986, followed by the Red Panda project four years later. The exchange of animals, such as Siberian tigers and Red Pandas, are part of zoo's plan to collaborate internationally for the betterment of endangered species.
In March 1997, the zoo sent Kunal, aged 18 at the time, and another Siberian tiger named Mahesh to Nainital. Mahesh passed away in 2001. According to the 2022 estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Siberian tigers are facing threats, with approximately 265 to 486 remaining in eastern Russia. This species, once widespread, is also found in China and possibly North Korea.
