VISITORS CAN SEE DUO NAMED BY CM FROM NEXT MONTH ..... Siliguri park Cubs earn their stripes

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, 14 Apr 2019, Siliguri: Siliguri: Rika and Kika two will turn out to be new attractions at the Bengal Safari Park here from next month.

The tiger cubs, which were bred captive and were kept away from public viewing, will be released into the enclosure so that visitors can see them during safaris.

"Shila, the only female royal Bengal tiger at the park gave birth to three cubs in April last year. Later on September, Ika, one of the cubs died because of some infection. But the other two cubs survived and will be one year old on May 10. We have decided to release them for public viewing from next month," an official of the safari park said on Saturday.

As the tiger cubs were born in captive, the authority took extra precautions in their care. They were kept in a secluded place and no visitor was allowed near their enclosure.

After their birth, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had named the cubs.

Vivan and Snehasish, the two male tigers at the park, had been drawing huge crowds at the park. On March 13, Snehasish was sent to Alipore Zoo in Calcutta. It was sent there for captive breeding of royal Bengal tigers, said foresters.

"We have kept the cubs in a separate enclosure from their mother. The cubs are presently in good health and ready to be released in the The cubs at the Siliguri park. File picture enclosure for the safari. Those will be added attractions for the visitors," Rajendra Jakhar, the director of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park of Darjeeling, said. He is the additional in-charge of the Siliguri park.

According to sources, Rika weighs around 65kilos while Kika's weight is around 68 kilos, similar to the weight of a leopard.

Located around 10 kilometres from here, the park is spread over an area of 290 hectares on the fringes of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. As of now, it has two Royal Bengal Tigers (Vivan and Shila), two leopards, a one-horned rhino, two Himalayan black bear, elephants, gharials (fish-eating crocodiles), deer of different species and an aviary. On last month, a na- ture interpretation centre and a watch tower have been opened at the park.

"The destination has emerged as a major attraction for tourists and locals. Since April 1 last year and till February 20 this year, around 2.55 lakh people have visited the park. We could earn around Rs 3.20 crores by selling the tickets," said an official..