Bhubaneswar: The authorities of Nandankanan Zoological park are planning to introduce a tiger rewilding project, in which tiger cubs born in the zoo will be released in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
Speaking on the occasion of International Tiger Day, Director of Nandankanan Biological Park, Manoj V Nair said, “Cubs born in the zoo having wild gene will be trained on prey feeding and prey hunting and released in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. We are planning to start this project soon.”
NZP is also planning to start a research project with the scientists of the Bengaluru-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) to carry one genetic analysis of tigers.
“The project will help find out the proportion of melanistic genes, normal tiger genes and healthy genes of the tigers in Nandankanan zoo. After a thorough study, a proper breeding plan will carry out to increase the number of tigers” he informed.
At present Nandankanan is home to 26 tigers which involves three male melanistic tigers, seven white tigers including a cub, and 16 normal coloured tigers.
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