India Gets First Pair Of Siberian Tigers After 12 Years
The two tigers, Lara and Akamas, were brought from Pefos Zoo in Cyprus in exchange for two red pandas. Both of them have been kept in quarantine for a month before being set for display enclosure.
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling on Tuesday welcomed a pair of Siberian Tigers as part of an animal exchange programme.
The two tigers, Lara and Akamas, were brought from Pefos Zoo in Cyprus in exchange for the two red pandas.
Dear Lara and Akamas, welcome to India!
¡ª Dept of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Min of FAH&D (@Dept_of_AHD) December 10, 2023
The Siberian Tigers from Paphos Zoo, Cyprus landed safely at NSCBI airport, Kolkata yesterday late evening and duly cleared by AQCS, Kolkata after all procedures. pic.twitter.com/WGVC7VSQKR
How India got two Siberian tigers
Both of them have been kept in quarantine for a month before being set for display enclosure.
BCCL
"We have brought one pair of Siberian tigers from Cyprus. Both are one and a half years old. Both were brought here yesterday night. They are kept in quarantine for one month. Both are healthy. This was done under the exchange programme. After one month, they will be kept for display. The process was initiated one and half years ago, and it has materialised now after getting the letter of consent and approval," Basavaraj Holeyachi, Director of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, said.
#WATCH | Darjeeling, West Bengal: Two one and a half years old Siberian tigers named Lara and Akamas arrived at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park from Pefos Zoo in Cyprus in exchange for the two Red Pandas from Darjeeling Zoo. Both of them have been kept in quarantine¡ pic.twitter.com/d8MplhBoNl
¡ª ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2023
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the only specialised Zoo in the country and is internationally recognised for its conservation breeding programmes of Red Pandas, Snow Leopards, Tibetan Wolves and other highly endangered animal species of Eastern Himalayas.
Why Siberian tigers are special
Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, are the biggest tigers in the world, with males weighing up to 660 pounds and measuring up to 10 feet long.
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Once found across Russia's far east, Northeast China and throughout the Korean Peninsula, the wild population of Siberian tigers has plummeted to just a few hundred.
How threatened are Siberian tigers?
Due to their size, the Siberian tigers became an attractive target for trophy hunters.
Today, the Siberian tiger is enlisted as 'endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
What happened to India's last Siberian tiger
This is the first time since 2011 that India has had Siberian tigers.
BCCL
The last Siberian tiger in India, Kunal, died in Nainital Zoo in November 2011 at the age of 18.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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