Mangalore: Tigress Netra's Cub at Pilikula Wins Palemar's Heart

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jan 18: Netra, a tigress presently located in Dr Shivaram Karant Widlife Park in Pilikula near here, recently gave birth to a male cub. The cub was adopted by Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, Krishna J Palemar, by making payment of one lac rupees. Palemar happens to be the president of the general assembly of Pilikula Nisargadhama Society.

The cub was born about two months back, and it is yet to be named. The new cub has brought joy to the park, as the last time cubs were born there was about four years ago, when a tigress named Varada gave birth to three cubs, which were named Netra, Kumar, and Shambhavi. Out of them, Netra has given birth to the cub, which was fathered by another tiger in the park, Vikram.

With the new arrival, the tiger population in the park has risen to eight, out of which four are male. The park currently has, apart from Sharavati, Netra, and Shambhavi, four male tigers, Raja, Kadamba, Vikram and Kumar. With the addition of the new cub, the male tiger population here has gone up to five. Director of the park, Jayaprakash Bhandary, said that a zoo in Jharkhand has sought a pair of Royal Bengal tigers from the park. All the tigers here belong to this variety. He also revealed that the park presently houses four African lions, and that two Asian lions are expected to come from Gujarat shortly. He added that plans are afoot to bring an aquatic animal from Thiruvananthapuram shortly.

The park does not get any assistance to look after wild animals in the park here, except medical treatment from the central government’s wildlife authority. The society has been meeting all expenses including creation of habitats for the animals through financial assistance and donations from organizations and donors, he added.