Asiatic lions at Gir

Jamshedpur, May 23: Left with a pair of hybrid lions, the Tata zoo is now stepping up efforts to play host to a pair of pure Asiatic lions.

Having sounded out the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on the availability of Asiatic lions, its officials were also contacting other zoos, including those in Orissa and Bengal.

M.S. Jain, the director of Tata Steel Zoological Society (TSZS), said: “We recently sought CZA’s guidance and asked it to inform us about the availability of Asiatic lions. We are awaiting a reply.”

Tata zoo had valid reasons for trying out nearby zoos, though Asiatics were known to be available in Saurashtra. “Though Asiatic lions can be procured from Junagadh zoo in Saurashtra, it would be difficult to overcome glitches associated with transporting the animal from a faraway location,” said Jain.

“It would take at least a week to bring the lions from Junagadh,” he added.

The senior functionary of the Tata zoo said they would like to bring in a pair of Asiatic lions — cubs or adults — depending on the availability. “They would be kept along with their hybrid counterparts,” he said.

Sources said housing Asiatic lions were a necessity as Tata zoo was now left with one pair of hybrid lions — an aged lioness (13) and a young male (4) — procured from a rescue centre at Jaldapara in Bengal. Tata zoo authorities were also worried about the depleting number of animals in their care. Two lions died in the last two years while an ailing leopard died recently.

This reason apart, their request for Asiatics was also well-timed. For, Central Zoo Authority was pushing zoos across the country to get Asiatic lions.

Jain said the lions were most likely to reach here by winter.