A big cat’s ‘no’ to mating has left forest officials worried in Madhya Pradesh’s Capital Bhopal, as despite repeated attempts of the officials here at Van Vihar National Park, a four-year old tiger refuses to mate with tigresses.
The big cat's unusual behavior has left the officials at Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park flummoxed. The tiger called Bandhu in his prime, refuses to mate with the tigresses in the park.
According to the officials of the Van Vihar National Park they have tried pairing Bandhu with other tigresses but he has shied away every time. Anxious officials are now planning to let the big cat undergo a medical checkup to find out why he is not keen on mating.
Van Vihar Director Atul Srivastava said, “If he is not physically fit for mating then he will be just for display.”
The four year old tiger, according to the forest officials, was first paired with a tigress called Gauri. Despite repeated attempts, Bandhu did not show any inclination towards mating.
Then, they tried mating him with Riddhi, another tigress at the park. The officials are giving some time to Bandhu to see if he mates with her.
With Bandhu out of action, forest officials are left with no choice except to look at Kanha, a relatively old tiger to increase tiger family in the national park and the state. Kanha, in the past, has fathered children who have been sent to different cities. “Though Kanha is a little old now, he has been successfully completing the process,” Shrivastava said.
Madhya Pradesh that was once tagged as tiger state, has slipped to number three slot in the country in big cats count and forest department is making its all out efforts to regain the lost glory.
Though, this year 22 tigers have died in the state triggering concerns from the forest department and the animal rights activists.