• Visitors can see the Tigers after 15 days
• Two White Tigers expected in few months
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 9
After traversing for nearly four days, Nagaland today received two Royal Bengal Tigers - namely Karthika (Female) and Manikantan (Male) – with much fanfare and curiosity.
The two tigers travelled by Kanyakumari - Dibrugarh Vivek Express, which cover a distance of approximately 3880 Kilometers between Thiruvananthanpuram and Dimapur Train Station according to the Indian Railways route schedule.
Curious onlookers thronged both the station upon their departure and arrival.
According to the Director of Nagaland Zoological Park, Sentichuba Aier the two new members joined the park after “persistent effort” for the last two years.
The Tigers safely reached Nagaland accompanied by 10 staffs from Thiruvananthanpuram Zoo, he said in a statement.
The Tigers are healthy and have undergone all protocol requirements before reaching here, he added.
Presently under close observation, they will be kept under quarantine for at least two weeks for them to “acclimatise” with the Nagaland weather condition.
“The enclosure has been put under round the clock surveillance to avoid any accidents, Aier said.
Feline lovers can visit them after 15 days, he added. In exchange for the feline visitors, the Nagaland Zoological Park will be sending two healthy Black Asiatic Bears - namely Kohima (Male) and Dimapur (Female) to the Thiruvananthanpuram Zoo.
The Director further informed that another two White Tigers are expected to arrive in the NZP after few months. According to a Times of India report, the two big cats were ensconced in their special coaches and probably the first wild animals ever to travel on an Indian train on a confirmed ticket.
The Southern Railway officials have ensured that the `historic’ journey goes off well, providing them with amenities even better than what regular passengers and veterinarians travelling with the animals got in AC coaches, it added.
“Train is also more comfortable for the animals. It is a safer and quicker mode of transport,” a railway official told the national daily.
