PANJIM: Goa Forest Department has approached national zoos in Mysore, Bangalore and Mangaluru seeking to procure a new pair of tigers for the Bondla Zoo – Wildlife Sanctuary.
Forest Department has written to Dr Shivaram Karnath Biological Park, Mangaluru, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popularly known as ‘Mysuru Zoo’ and another zoo at Bangalore for a new pair of tigers in exchange of either a bison family or deer family.
Bondla Zoo lost its pair of tigers – Rana and Sandhya – the major attraction of the zoo, within the space of a few months. While Rana died in December 2016, Sandhya breathed her last in July, this year. The death of the animals was attributed to ‘natural cause’ since they had reached old age. The tiger pair had been brought from the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Vishakhapatnam in 2009.
When contacted, Deputy Conservator for wildlife, Vikas Dessai, confirmed that Forest Department has written to the three zoos for a new tiger couple, after the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) granted approval for the same.
“In exchange, we have offered to give a bison family or deer family. Let us see, which zoo is ready for the exchange,” he said adding that the department will be send reminders to all the three zoos for their immediate consent.
The zoo authorities at Bondla said the tigers were the main attraction of the zoo. In 2016-17, the zoo saw 1.13 lakh visitors that included 36,000 students and children, 74,000 adults and 1912 foreigners.
