Jamshedpur: Good news for all tiger lovers awaiting a glimpse of three Royal Bengal Tiger cubs born in Tata Steel Zoological Park last August.
From Tuesday, the three daughters of Tata zoo's beloved big cat couple Dona and Kailash would be released for public viewing. What's more, you can also name them.
Though the zoo is open from 9am to 5pm on all days except Monday, the cubs, , aged five-and-a-half months old, can be seen only till 1pm.
On Monday, the weekly off day for the zoo, the cubs were released in the open enclosure for the first time in the presence of zoo authorities and select mediapersons.
The zoo also announced its naming contest for Dona's daughters. Citizens are invited to name tiger cubs and send options to the Tata zoo's Facebook page or email tatasteelzoo@gmail.com with their names and numbers and the winners chosen by lottery would get free visits to the zoo for a year. The contest is open for a month from Monday.
Born on August 23, 2017, and kept under 24-hour CCTV surveillance since then, the triplets were in a playful mood on Monday as they chased each others' tails and bounced about under the mild February sun.
At present, they are among six tigers at Tata zoo, along with their parents Dona and Kailash and aunt Ahana.
"After five months, the wait is over and we thought the cubs were fit for public viewing. Zoo staffers have taken immense care to ensure the cubs were hale and hearty in one of the harshest winters the city has seen. Now, the weather is also pleasant," said zoo director Bipul Chakrabarty.
Rishad Chinoy, general secretary, Tata Steel Zoological Society that governs Tata Steel Zoological Park, said he wanted people to think of suitable names for the tiger triplets. "We have done this in the past too and received a great bunch of names for lion and tiger cubs. The whole idea is to foster a connect between people and wildlife," he said.
Chakrabarty said the cubs had started relishing solid meat - pork and chicken on Wednesdays and Sundays and pork on all other days. "This apart, they are given Vitamin AD3 supplements. They are hale and hearty," he said.
A ticket to the zoo costs Rs 30 for an adult and Rs 20 for a child.
