A tigress gave birth to three tiger cubs on Wednesday at the North Bengal Wild Animal Park that has been closed since March due to outbreak of COVID-19 .
“The three cubs and the mother are doing fine. The sex of the cubs is yet to be ascertained, as we cannot go close to Sheela [the tigress] right now,” said Dharamdeo Rai, director of the park. With the three newborns, the number of tigers in the park has increased to seven.
North Bengal Wild Animal Park, also known as Bengal Safari, is spread over 297 hectares and houses one-horned rhinos, Himalayan black bears, elephants, gharials and deer, among other wildlife. The park is a big draw for tourists.
State’s Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee said he expected a large number of people to flock to the park to see the tiger cubs once it reopened.
Earlier, in May 2018, the tigress had given birth to three cubs. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had named them Ika, Kika and Rika. Ika died a few months later.
Sheela and her mate Viban were brought to the park from Nandankan Zoological Park in Bhubhaneshwar.
