Bhubaneswar: The Saturday morning brought much cheer to the staff of Nandankanan Zoological Park near Barang, on the outskirts of the city, as white Royal Bengal Tigress Bijaya gave birth to two cubs.
According to the zoo officials, the tigress gave birth to a white tiger and a normal tiger at 7.05 am and 8 am.
Informing this to the media, deputy director of Nandankanan Zoological Park Jayant Kumar Das said the health of the mother tigress and her two cubs are fine. The zoo staff are keeping a close watch on them, he added
He, however, said the tigress and her two cubs will be kept out of bounds for visitors for the next few weeks. They will then be kept in an enclosure.
The white tigress Bijaya had mated with the Royal Bengal tiger Roshan in June this year.
With the birth of the two tiger cubs, the number of tigers in the zoo has gone up to 26. Barring the two newborn cubs, there are 14 common Royal Bengal tigers, 8 white Royal Bengal tigers and two Black Panthers in the zoo.
