A Royal Bengal tiger (file picture)

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 17: Authorities of the Nandankanan zoo are taking extra care to ensure the safety of the five newborn tiger cubs at the zoo.

The cubs and mother Priyanka are being kept away from public view as any human interference can lead to rejection of the cubs by their mother.

On Tuesday, five tiger cubs, including one white cub, were borne to Priyanka, a 12-year-old tigress, and Roshan, an eight-year-old tiger. Both Priyanka and Roshan were also born at the zoo.

For the next one month, no one will be able to see the tigress and her young ones. The caretaker is allowed to enter the special enclosure made for them. It takes eight to 10 days for the cubs to open their eyes.

The zoo authorities said that in the past, there had been instances when female tigers had rejected their cubs following human interference. “In course of time, we have learned that any human interference can have a disastrous impact on the newborns. Therefore, it has become a general protocol, for the safety of animals, to keep them away for sometime after birth. Though the curiosity is there to have a glimpse of the cubs, no one is allowed to go near them,” said Narayan Mohapatra, deputy director of the zoo.

As the cubs are fed on mother’s milk for nearly four months, rejection by the mother could lead to their death. Earlier, one leopard cub had died after the mother rejected it because of human interference.

However, the joy of the five newborn cubs could not stay long as a tigress died at the zoo today. Tanuja, an 18-year-old tigress, succumbed to injuries when she was hurt in a clash with Kishan, a male tiger, who was supposed to mate with her. The tigress died after two weeks of the fight.

In another move, the state government has decided to undertake a project worth Rs 20 crore for conservation of elephants at Dhenkanal, Angul and Keonjhar districts. The funds would be spent through the state energy department. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed concern regarding elephant death, because of electrocution and poaching.

The compensation money has been raised to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1 lakh for any human casualty caused by elephants. Similarly, the compensation for crop damage by elephant was also raised to Rs 10,000 per acre. Earlier, the amount was Rs 3,500 an acre.

According to the new scheme, 51 new squads would be constituted to prevent illegal elephant poaching. The elephants’ movement would be observed by Global Positioning System. At present, work is in progress for 14 elephant corridors in the state. A sum of Rs 51 crore would be spent for construction of these corridors in the next five years.