Agartala: The Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) has approved the proposal to send a lion couple along with a pair of black buck and leopard cats to North Bengal Wild Animal Park (NBWAP) in Siliguri in exchange for a pair of Royal Bengal tigers and a few species of birds in the New Year.
The wildlife officials here on Wednesday said Tripura’s Sepahijala Zoo has been waiting to welcome Royal Bengal tigers for a long time after the death of the last tigress about five years ago. And NBWAP has also been looking for a lion couple to make its most ambitious Bengal safari attractive for visitors.
Apart from the tiger, there are a pair of leopards, hill mynas, Indian peacocks, gold peasants, and silver peasants from NBWAP. The CZAI has approved the proposal initiated by both state authorities for the animal exchange program to make exquisite animals available in the zoos for visitors.
About a special adoption program, he said, “When the adoption drive was launched, two animals were adopted. The program could not draw much response. We shall once again put emphasis on the adoption of animals once the zoo modernization drive gets over.”
