Kerala   

Bonding with the world

The city zoo has released for public viewing a leopard cub and three tiger cubs after post-birth care.

The leopard cub named Sheena was born on November 1, 2006. It was kept in a special `kraal' to allow it to bond with its mother, Ashwini.

"The cub was let out into the covered, pseudo-habitat enclosure on Tuesday. The enclosure was done up with strategically placed wooden logs for the cub to play. Already, it is frolicking in the spacious enclosure," zoo superintendent S. Abu said. The zoo now has four leopards, including Sheena.

The three tiger cubs — Manikantan, Mannu and tigress Ponnu — born on January 13, 2007, were let out into one of the old carnivore cages behind the current lion enclosure.

Like Sheena, the three tiger cubs too were kept away from public display to allow them time with their mother Karishma who was brought here from Mysore in 2001. This is Karishma's third litter since then.

"The isolation time also allowed us to give the cubs the necessary vaccines and de-worm them. Once they are let out into the enclosures, it may have been difficult to do this," Mr. Abu explained.

The three tiger cubs, which that have grown into full-fledged meat eaters now, will be kept in the old carnivore cage for the next four to five months. Later they will be shifted to the sprawling open enclosure for tigers. By then, they would grow large enough to safely waddle in the deep moat that lines one end of the enclosure. The zoo now has nine tigers — five males and four females — including the cubs.

In about two months, the zoo is likely to get two pairs of lions from the Vandalloor zoo. The paper work necessary for this transfer has been completed. The zoo now has four lions, of which only one is a male. One female has been deemed too old for public display. The paper work required for bringing over a giraffe from the Kolkata zoo has also been completed.

The zoo is also negotiating for the transfer of three Gaur from the Mysore zoo in exchange for a South American Tapir that was given as a `breeding loan.'

G. Mahadevan

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