Van Vihar National park to house white tigers again
10 Apr 2009, 1827 hrs IST, PTI
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BHOPAL: Van Vihar National Park will once again be proud to house white tigers, with the forest authorities getting a go-ahead to bring a pair of big cats from Bhubaneswar’s Nandan Kanan Zoo.
“A pair of white tigers would be brought to the Van Vihar National Park here from Nandan Kanan Zoo,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest H S Pabla said on Friday.
“All necessary permission to bring the white tigers has been obtained,” he said adding it would to take at least 15-20 days before the big cats are actually brought to the zoo.
At present, white tigers, totaling 34, are found only at Nandan Kanan, where their breeding programme is going on since 1980.
“Seasonal problems like heat and water crisis would not affect the tigers as they would be kept in captive area,” he said.
Madhya Pradesh is considered as the original birth place of white tigers who get the white colour due to absence of yellow pigmentation.
The average age of a tiger is 15 to 16 years while the life span of a white tiger is even less, experts said.
Earlier, there were six white tigers in the Van Vihar National Park here but gradually they passed away due to various ailments and old age, park sources said.
A white tiger Rustam died on June 21 2004, Karan October 17, 2006, Ishu October 12, 2007, Rashmi March 14, 2008, Kiku June 30, 2008 and Rinni September 6, 2008, they added.
