White Tigers Find Safe Haven In Chhattisgarh's Maitri Bagh Zoo

The zoo came into being to celebrate the friendship between India and Russia and is maintained by Bhilai Steel Plant.

Durg: Maitri Bagh Zoo, which shelters eight white tigers, continues to draw animal lovers due to its pride of place, big cats with snow-white complexion which are a rarity due to a rare colour mutation called leucism. According to conservationists, the existence of this type of tiger is the outcome of a rare mutation appearing in the wild approximately once in every 10,000 tiger cub births. This is the reason why white tigers are incredibly rare.

Maitri Bagh Zoo of Chhattisgarh is counted among the zoos with the highest number of white tigers in the country. This is the fourth zoo in the country where the number of white tigers has reached eight. There are five male and three female white tigers among them. The management claims that the highest number of white tiger breeding takes place in Maitri Bagh Zoo.

The zoo's in-charge NK Jain said that white tigers have been sent from this zoo to other zoos in the country. “White tigers have been sent from here to many other zoos in the country. Zoos in Indore, Gujarat, and Bengal already got white tigers from here. A pair of white tigers was brought here 28 years ago. Since then the number of white tigers kept increasing. Now this number has reached eight. More than six white tigers have been given to other zoos in the country,” he said.

Jain added, “Twenty-eight years ago, Tapasi and Tarun were brought here from Nandan Kanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. In 1998, the couple gave birth to two cubs for the first time. Tapasi and Tarun's cubs were sent to Bokaro Zoo in Jharkhand. Today, their seventh generation is attracting tourists in Durg. Youngest cubs are named Bobby, Rana and Rustam.”

When was Maitri Bagh established?

Maitri Bagh Zoo was established in 972. The zoo that was built to celebrate the friendship between India and Russia is maintained by Bhilai Steel Plant. The management takes special care of white tigers in Maitri Bagh and plays a vital role in increasing their population. Bhilai Steel Plant management also spends a huge amount of money on white tigers.