The stork had made two significant visits to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo (Byculla Zoo) or Ranibaug, as it is popularly known, last year. However, authorities introduced the new female tiger cub – ‘Veera’ born to Shakti and Karishma, the popular feline pair only on Tuesday. It was also the day that the second Humboldt penguin chick was given a name – Oscar – with Mayor Kishori Pednekar being present on the occasion along with Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Director, Byculla Zoo and other civic officials.
Shakti and Karishma had been brought to Byculla Zoo from Siddharth Garden and Zoo, Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, in exchange for two pairs of spotted deer and two pairs of painted storks. The feline pair came to Byculla zoo 15 years after the zoo lost its last tiger in 2006. A natural habitat on the lines of Ranthambore was created for them inside their enclosure. The tigers have been crowd-pullers ever since.
Veera was born on November 14, 2021, and was introduced to the public for the first time by name. Bearing in mind the current pandemic situation, the zoo authorities are being extra cautious with the newborn.
“Veera and her mother Karishma are doing fine and are healthy. The cub Veera is now two months old and is currently undergoing vaccination and deworming routines. Karishma is taking good care of the cub who is growing well and is an active cub. However, Veera will be kept under the care and observation of veterinarians who will be closely monitoring her till she turns six months old. Only veterinarians are allowed to go near the cub,” said Dr Sanjay Tripathi, Director of Byculla Zoo
Meanwhile, the Humboldt penguins, Molt (male) and Flipper (female) had Oscar on August 19, 2021. However, the chick wasn’t named earlier as its sex had yet to be determined. Another pair, Donald and Daisy, had given birth to a male chick on May 1, 2021, and he was named Oreo.
