PANJIM: The State’s lone Bondla Zoo, which is undergoing a revamp, might have to wait for few more months, to welcome a new tiger or their pair, with Public Works Department (PWD) still in process of restructuring their enclosure.
The Madhya Pradesh State Forest Department has agreed to give a tiger in exchange of gaur/bison to Goa Forest Department, who in fact, is in talks for a pair of tigers.
Chief Wildlife Warden Santosh Kumar said that Madhya Pradesh Forest Department is ready to give us a tiger, but we are trying for a pair of tigers.
He said that the department through PWD has already started revamping facilities like the shelter area, feeding chambers and night shelters for the tigers and space for their independent movement in the zoo.
“Unless the facilities, including an enclosure is in place, we cannot get a tiger,” he said.
Kumar said that the facility is expected to be ready by March, next year and only then, we will be able to bring in a tiger or tigers.
Bondla Zoo lost their former pair of tigers Rana and Sandhya, the major attraction of the zoo in December 2016 and July 2017, respectively. The death of both the animals was attributed to ‘natural cause’ since both had reached old age. The pair was brought in from Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Vishakhapatnam in 2009.
In 2019, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had kept on hold Goa’s proposal for procuring new pair of tigers in absence of proper facilities in place to accommodate the wild cat.
Sources said that following directions from the CZA, since 2019, the department is working on modifying or restructuring the amenities at the zoo including enclosures and other in-house amenities to the animals
The existing zoo structures date back to 1969 to 1975.
