Chhattisgarh: White tigress gives birth to male cub at Maitri Bagh Zoo

A white tigress has given birth to a male cub at Maitri Bagh Zoo in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, a zoo official said on Monday.

With the latest birth, the number of white tigers in the zoo has reached seven, the official said.

Maitri Bagh Zoo is located in Bhilai city, about 35 km away from Raipur.

The breeding of white tigers, which was stopped during the coronavirus pandemic, was resumed six months ago, zoo in-charge N K Jain said.

White tigress named Roma gave birth to the cub on September 5. The cub has been named Singham, he said.

The tigress and cub were quarantined away from public view for about two months, and the birth was announced on Sunday, Jain said, adding that the cub was fathered by white tiger Sultan.

The zoo now has seven white tigers — five males and two females, he said.

In 1997, a pair of white tigers — Tarun and Tapsi — were shifted to Maitri Bagh from Nandan Kanan Zoo in neighbouring Odisha.

At least 12 white tigers have been given to different zoos in the country from Maitri Bagh as a part of wild animal exchange programme so far, and four have died due to natural causes at the facility, the official said.

Maitri Bagh is maintained by the Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), the flagship unit of the country's largest steel maker Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).