A tiger named Bandhu at Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park is apparently taking his name too seriously - he wants to be a friend without benefits.
Every time they take him near a tigress, he shies away. Bandhu has a harem of sorts to choose from but he just isn't interested.
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Exasperated forest officials say the tigresses have "done everything they can" but the four-year-old tiger - which is supposed to be at the peak of his virility - remains a virgin.
Forest officials are now going to test bandhu for potency - the first time something like this is being done in Van Vihar.
Realizing that Bandhu had come of age, forest officials tried to gift him a mate. First, they tried to set him up with Gauri, but Bandhu couldn't be bothered. Thrice they tried, thrice he rebuffed her.
"Gauri does her part, but Bandhu turns away, without doing anything," said a forest officer. "Last month, for the third time, we sent Bandhu to mate with Gauri but he returned without trying. Then, we transferred him with Riddhi," Van Vihar director Atul Srivastava said.
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Forest officials have turned to Kanha, a grizzled veteran. "Though Kanha is a little old now, he has been successfully completing the process. He has fathered children, who were sent to different cities," said Srivastava. "We have been trying with Gauri since last year. The first time, she gave birth but the cubs died early. Since then, mating has not been successful," he added.
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Van Vihar's doctor Atul Gupta is not well these days. "After he returns to work, I will ask him to arrange for a physical check-up of Bandhu to find if it's his insecurity or a hormonal problem. If he is not physically fit for mating then he will be just for display," the director said.