West Bengal: 'Akbar-Sita' Lion Jodi's Rechristening Leads to Slugfest

Several animals were exchanged under the Centre's animal exchange programme including the lions. The Bengal Safari Park sent a Royal Bengal Tiger, two Shila cubs to the north-eastern state of Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park under the aegis of this programme.

Siliguri (West Bengal): Several political parties and voluntary organisations have objected to the rechristening of the Lion Couple that arrived at the Bengal Safari Park from Tripura as Akbar and Sita. This comes in the wake of a plea sent to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for renaming them. The situation has led to a political row.

Looking back in time, in 2016, Akbar's father Dushmant and mother Chinmayi Sipaizla gave birth to three cubs. CPM's Naresh Jamatia, the then Forest Minister of Tripura, named the three cubs after Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor's popular movie from the '70s, 'Amar, Akbar, Antony.'

Several animals were exchanged between Tripura and West Bengal on Monday after a long wait under the aegis of the central government's animal exchange programme. Lion couple Akbar and Sita along with a spectacled monkey, blackbuck deer and leopard cat arrived at the Bengal Safari Park from Tripura on Monday.

On the other hand, the Bengal Safari Park approved the exchange of a Royal Bengal Tiger, two Shila cubs named Tejal and Shera to Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park.

Of the three kids, the Central Zoo Authority and the State Zoo Authority chose to transfer only Akbar to the Bengal Safari Park. Sita was born in 2018 at the Tripura Zoo and is currently five.

Visitors throng in numbers to catch a glimpse of the Royal Bengal, rhinoceros, elephants, and other wild animals throughout the year. This time, with the addition of the lions, influx is estimated to spike higher than usual. On the other side, the Bengal Safari Park has constructed a distinct enclosure for lions.

For summer, small holes have been positioned for the King of the forest to drink water. Cement has been used to plaster those holes. Water will be available there throughout summer for the lions to bathe. Every day, the lion will receive seven kg of beef while its partner will receive five kg.