New Delhi, Jul 25 (IANS): People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India will stage a protest "Save the Tiger - Say No to Zoos" outside the Delhi zoo Friday at noon.

A statement Thursday said two PETA volunteers will put on tiger body suits as part of the protest.

According to the animal rights activist group, the protest comes in the wake of eight tigers dying at the zoo over a six-month period.

"Tigers, kings of the jungle, are reduced to living sad lives in zoos. Tiger-protection efforts must ensure both the physical and mental well-being of the animals but zoos often fail on both counts. No matter whether the species is endangered or not, nobody wants to be caged," said PETA-India campaign advisor Bhuvaneshwari Gupta.

The group also urged the government to shift its focus to protecting tigers and other animals in their natural homes instead of pouring crores of rupees into keeping a few miserable animals jailed in zoos.

"Tigers and other animals in zoos often express their frustration and loneliness through obsessive, repetitive and even self-destructive behaviour such as constant pacing, circling, swaying, head-bobbing and even self-mutilation, a behaviour not found among animals who roam around in the wild," the statement added.