A file picture of Durga who was adopted by actress Priyanka Chopra for a year in 2011

It is official. Abandoned by Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra two years ago, Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park’s prima donna — Durga, the tigress — will get new foster parents by Friday.

Zoo officials on Tuesday informed that the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) had come forward to adopt the 10-year-old royalty for a period of five years. For each year, the company will pay the Jharkhand zoo authorities around Rs 2.75 lakh.

“The CCL has accepted our proposal, which we had sent a few months ago, and our beloved Durga will find new parents soon. On September 26, a formal adoption ceremony has been planned at the park, which will be attended by state forest department and CCL officials,” said a senior zoo official.

General manager of CCL’s corporate social responsibility wing R.V. Prasad confirmed the plan. “Tigers are endangered today. We wanted to extend our support in conservation of the big cats. We are adopting the female for five years and during this period, CCL will take care of food, medical and other requirements. It is for the first time that we are adopting any animal,” Prasad told The Telegraph.

Currently, Birsa zoo has only one tiger couple — Durga and 12-year-old Sugreev. But, sources told The Telegraph that a younger pair, as well as a lion couple, was expected to arrive from Bannerghatta National Park, near Bangalore, later this month under an animal exchange programme. In return, Birsa zoo will send a pair each of leopard cats and hyenas to Karnataka.

If a source is to be believed, CCL may also adopt the new tiger pair. “We have learnt that the PSU wants to adopt all our tigers, which is great news. It may announce the same at Durga’s programme on September 26,” the source said.

Mecon had adopted Sugreev in 2011 for a period of five years after the zoo rolled out the scheme to sensitise people regarding forest and wildlife.

Durga shot to fame the same year after Bollywood’s “junglee billi” Priyanka adopted her for a year. The actress gave a roaring support to Ranchi zoo in 2012 once again, but in favour of lioness Sundari instead of renewing her familial bond with the royalty in stripes.

Priyanka’s association with the zoo, however, came to an end in 2013 after Sundari’s adoption contract ended. Though zoo officials tried to persuade the actress to rejoin the scheme last year, they did so without success so far.

Zoo director A.K. Patra had in the past told The Telegraph that they had been sending health reports of three animals — a tiger, a lioness and monkeys — to the actress’s office on her request, but were yet to hear from her.