Kolkata, Aug 15 (IANS): In a first of its kind, the forest department of West Bengal in association with the state zoo authority has decided to set up a supers-specialty hospital in the Sunderbans with an exclusive ward for the treatment of Royal Bengal Tigers.

The hospital will be built at the Jharkhali Tiger Reserve in the Sunderbans under Canning sub-division in South 24 Parganas district.

A highly-placed official in the forest department said the proposed hospital will have veterinary treatment facilities for different animal and bird species, but its specialty will be treatment of Royal Bengal Tigers for which an exclusive ward will be set up.

The proposed hospital to be named 'Tiger Referral Super Specialty Hospital' will also have operations theatres, the official said.

“The hospital will have sophisticated medical equipment, including X-ray and ultrasonography machines, among others. It will also have special hydraulic tables for facilitating the treatment of animals,” the official said.

The forest department has set a target to inaugurate the hospital by the end of 2023. Sources said that besides tigers, there are plans for having a separate ward for the treatment of crocodiles frequenting the rivers of Sunderbans.

It has been decided that the proposed hospital will start operating with four veterinary specialists and one veterinary surgeon. In the second phase, pharmacists and pathologists will be recruited. The number of specialists and surgeons might be increased as per need in due course.

Currently, the Jharkhali Tiger Reserve houses three tigers and 11 crocodiles, along with other animal species.