Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Smiles prevail on the faces of the staff at Siddharth Garden Zoo of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) as the tigress Samruddhi has become pregnant and will be delivering cubs anytime in the coming 15-20 days. Earlier, she has given birth to nine cubs during the last two pregnancies. The pregnancy period of each tigress is of 90 days, said the sources.
The zoo has witnessed pregnancy after a gap of a couple of years. There are three tigers and seven tigress including Samrudhi in the zoo. During her first delivery, she delivered four cubs. After attaining adulthood, these cubs had been sent to different zoos in the country. During the second pregnancy, Samrudhi delivered five cubs (prior to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic situation).
There is a shortage of space in our zoo. As a result, on the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the reproduction of the big cats was halted. Accordingly, the tigers and tigress were placed in separate enclosures for the past three years.
Under Smart City Mission, the municipal corporation proposed the construction of a Safari Park on 100 acres of land at Mitmita. It is expected to be completed in the next one and a half years. Hence after that, the municipal corporation will need more tigers in future. Meanwhile, the CSMC has sought permission for the mating of the tigers and tigress. The civic officers on finding Samrudhi pregnant conducted various tests and all care is being taken for her safe delivery, said the sources.
It is said that after the completion of the Safari Park, the CSMC will have to develop natural habitats for various wildlife animals in it and then seek permission from CZA for the shifting of the old zoo. It is believed that the whole process of developing the natural habitat and the shifting of the zoo may take around 5 long years.