Tiger roar to be heard at Renukaji zoo

Pankaj Sharma

Nahan, February 1

The mighty roar of the royal feline will soon be heard at the Shri Renuka ji mini zoo in Sirmaur district. Efforts have been intensified by the Wildlife Wing of state Forest Department and the zoo authorities to complete all requisite formalities for the same at the earliest.

The Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation has been directed to complete the construction work of a tiger enclosure area by April. This will include an indoor, outdoor and a treatment area. The construction work of the outdoor area, where tourists will be able to see the tigers, is nearing completion. The construction work of the indoor and treatment area is said to be completed soon. This enclosure area, being built at a cost of over one crore, will be completely air-conditioned and tiger-friendly with modernised infrastructure in compliance with the Central Zoo Authority’s requirements.

Last lion roar heard in 2015

• In the year 1975, a pair of Asiatic lions — named Raja and Rani — was brought to this mini zoo of Shri Renuka ji from Sakkarbaug zoo, Junagarh
• After years of breeding, the lion family size had reached 29. However, all of the felines died one after the other.
• The main reason behind the mass mortality was said to be sibling breeding within the same clan
• In 2015, the roar of lions was heard for the last time at the Zoo.

The state Wildlife Wing has sought a pair of lion from zoos in several states —including Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Parallel to the construction work, authorities concerned are also completing key formalities for the approval of the Central Zoo Authority of India for the transport of the tigers.

“The approval from the Central Zoo Authority is expected soon after the completion of the construction work of the enclosure being built to house the tiger in the mini zoo of Shri Renukaji,” said a zoo official.

After the death of a clan of Asiatic lions at the zoo, The CZAI attributed, among other things, the absence of a specialised veterinarian and the improper care of the felines to be the reason for the sudden death of the lions. However, Officials of the Wildlife Wing claimed that all the lions died after completing the average age of the species.

The CZAI will inspect the tiger enclosure area and ensure that all the parameters required for the proper care and safety of tigers are taken care of. A biologist has recently been appointed by the wildlife wing of the mini zoo. If successful in this effort, the zoo could become the only zoo in Himachal to currently house tigers.