Krishnendu Mukherjee, TNN Dec 31, 2013, 02.42AM IST
"The technical committee of the state zoo authority has already approved the proposal. It will be presented in its governing body meeting next month for a final nod," said zoo director K L Ghosh. However, member secretary of state zoo authority, TVN Rao, said the technical committee's say is final here.
So, when will the zoo authorities embark upon the project? As soon as the winter rush is over, said the zoo director. "We are planning to start the project with the captive breeding of the tigers. But unless the year-end and New Year rush is over, we can't start working on it because it needs a lot of planning. Besides, the mating pairs too will need time and isolation," Ghosh said.
According to Ghosh, they have a male tiger in the zoo that has the bloodline of Sunderbans big cats and is capable to mate. "We might consider it for the programme so that the cubs get a new gene pool," he said. However, he couldn't recall whether it was a rescued Sunderbans tiger.
The zoo at the moment has five Bengal tigers - three male and two female. Besides, it has three white tigers as well. On the lions, the zoo director couldn't confirm the date when they were bred in captivity for the last time. At present, the zoo has a pair of Asiatic lion, brought from the Hyderabad zoo three years back, and three hybrid lions, two male and a female.
Since the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) has strongly recommended against the breeding of hybrids, the zoo cannot breed the hybrid lions and hence the Asiatic lions were brought from its counterpart in Hyderabad.
However, conservationists raised question over such move saying it won't serve the purpose of conservation and will only raise the footfall in the zoo.
The last captive breeding of tigers happened in the zoo in 2005 and two cubs were born then, of which one was reportedly sent to the Darjeeling zoo.
"Zoos should take up captive breeding programmes, but the idea is not to draw tourists only. We have to keep in mind that the tigers that we have now will not live forever. The generation should move on and this is where a zoo plays a crucial role," said Ghosh.
Cross breeding of tigers and lions brought the zoo in the eye of storm earlier. A cross between a Bengal tiger and an African lion, Rudrani - a 'tigon' born in 1970 - produced a litter of seven 'litigon' cubs after mating with an Asiatic lion in 1976. One of these 'litigons' were marketed by the zoo authorities as the largest living big cat in the world. It died at the age of 15 in 1991. The zoo stopped its hybrid programme in 1985, after there was criticism from the scientific community which claimed that such hybrids suffer from 'genetic abnormalities'.
KOLKATA:
If 2013 took Alipore Zoological Gardens to new heights for its adoption
scheme, the zoo is set to hit another high note in the New Year with
its captive breeding programme for the tigers and lions.
While captive breeding of tigers in the zoo last happened almost a decade back in 2005, that of the lions took place even before that. Some even claimed that this will probably be the first time that two pure Asiatic lions will be bred in the zoo.
While captive breeding of tigers in the zoo last happened almost a decade back in 2005, that of the lions took place even before that. Some even claimed that this will probably be the first time that two pure Asiatic lions will be bred in the zoo.
"The technical committee of the state zoo authority has already approved the proposal. It will be presented in its governing body meeting next month for a final nod," said zoo director K L Ghosh. However, member secretary of state zoo authority, TVN Rao, said the technical committee's say is final here.
So, when will the zoo authorities embark upon the project? As soon as the winter rush is over, said the zoo director. "We are planning to start the project with the captive breeding of the tigers. But unless the year-end and New Year rush is over, we can't start working on it because it needs a lot of planning. Besides, the mating pairs too will need time and isolation," Ghosh said.
According to Ghosh, they have a male tiger in the zoo that has the bloodline of Sunderbans big cats and is capable to mate. "We might consider it for the programme so that the cubs get a new gene pool," he said. However, he couldn't recall whether it was a rescued Sunderbans tiger.
The zoo at the moment has five Bengal tigers - three male and two female. Besides, it has three white tigers as well. On the lions, the zoo director couldn't confirm the date when they were bred in captivity for the last time. At present, the zoo has a pair of Asiatic lion, brought from the Hyderabad zoo three years back, and three hybrid lions, two male and a female.
Since the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) has strongly recommended against the breeding of hybrids, the zoo cannot breed the hybrid lions and hence the Asiatic lions were brought from its counterpart in Hyderabad.
However, conservationists raised question over such move saying it won't serve the purpose of conservation and will only raise the footfall in the zoo.
The last captive breeding of tigers happened in the zoo in 2005 and two cubs were born then, of which one was reportedly sent to the Darjeeling zoo.
"Zoos should take up captive breeding programmes, but the idea is not to draw tourists only. We have to keep in mind that the tigers that we have now will not live forever. The generation should move on and this is where a zoo plays a crucial role," said Ghosh.
Cross breeding of tigers and lions brought the zoo in the eye of storm earlier. A cross between a Bengal tiger and an African lion, Rudrani - a 'tigon' born in 1970 - produced a litter of seven 'litigon' cubs after mating with an Asiatic lion in 1976. One of these 'litigons' were marketed by the zoo authorities as the largest living big cat in the world. It died at the age of 15 in 1991. The zoo stopped its hybrid programme in 1985, after there was criticism from the scientific community which claimed that such hybrids suffer from 'genetic abnormalities'.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-31/kolkata/45739089_1_zoo-director-hyderabad-zoo-state-zoo-authority
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