A couple of years ago, in
a grisly incident, witnessed by scores and captured live on many
cameras, a 200-kg tiger mauled and killed a youth after he fell into the
animal's moat in the Delhi Zoo…… that gory incident went viral on social media, also raising the Q on why
people who were keen on filming the incident did not respond in any manner
trying to help the victim.
The
man in his 20s reportedly had either fell off or had jumped into the moat which
separated the tiger’s enclosure from the visitor’s gallery. The victim reportedly had history of mental
illness. The majestic six-foot,
seven-year-old tiger [a white Tiger], named Vijay, which was some distance
away, saw the man in the concrete moat, that was covered with dry leaves, and
bounded up to him. Footage showed the tiger glowering face-to-face at the man,
as it initially appeared to be surprised on seeing the sudden human intrusion
into its habitat.
Heard of Rewa - a city in
the north-eastern part Madhya Pradesh.
It is the former capital of the princely state of Rewa and the former
state of Vindhya Pradesh. The city lies about 420 kilometres (261 mi) northeast
of the state capital Bhopal and 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of the city of Allahabad.
Rewa derives its name from another name for the Narmada River.
Rewa,
not to be confused with the electric car Reva, is associated with white tiger –
for it is here that the first of the
white tigers was captured, a cub of 2 year old by Maharajah Martand Singh of Rewa. The tiger
lived in captivity at the Maharajah's summer palace for five years and, on its
death, was stuffed and sent as a gift to King George V as a sign of India's
loyalty to the crown. Though it was
legal and hunting was considered a valour, in 1951, reportedly a tigress had
been sighted with 4 cubs – the bigger was one was shot at and the cubs
including a white one named Mohan lived its life in captivity.
In
the present day – a limestone belt runs
through the Rewa district and coal is found in the nearby districts. Jaypee Group has built a township known as
Jaypee Nagar in Rewa. Asia's biggest cement factory, Prism cement (previously
Rasi Cement), operates near Rewa in Satna district. It is more of an industrial area now. In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named
Rewa one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640
districts in India)
The
white Bengal tigers are distinctive due to the color of their fur. The white
fur caused by a lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal
tigers with orange color fur. When compared to Bengal tigers, the white Bengal
tigers tend to grow faster and heavier than the orange Bengal tiger. They also
tend to be somewhat bigger at birth, and as fully grown adults. White Bengal
tigers are fully grown when they are 2–3 years of age. White male tigers reach
weights of 200 to 230 kilograms and can grow up to 3 meters in length.
It may look majestic and found in many Zoos, but in contrast to
what some believe, the White Tiger is neither a subspecies in its own right,
nor an albino form of a ‘normal’ tiger. It simply is a rare form of Bengal Tiger that possesses a
specific gene, giving it a lighter appearance.
The scientific name of the White Tiger is Pantheratigris, since it is merely a
different coloured version of the Bengal subspecies. According to many experts, its breeding
programme is harmful and only results in weaker generations.
Here
is a report that appeared in TOI and Indian Express of date. Politicians and white tigers share space on
hoardings put up across Rewa in Madhya Pradesh amid preparations for the
opening of the world's first tiger sanctuary . Thousands of locals arrived in a
state where the large hoardings of ministers posing with a white tiger are
dotting Rewa town. Thousands of local people gathered on Sunday to witness the
opening of the world's first white tiger sanctuary , making it appear more like
an election rally as people swarmed around shouting slogans just outside the
sanctuary near Rewa. The white tiger has been an election issue for years now
say locals.
Only
one white tiger, Vindhya is currently in the sanctuary at Mukundpur, about 20km
from Rewa.There are two other white tiger in enclosures in the zoo adjoining
the safari. The first white tiger of
Rewa, Mohan was raised in captivity. Mohan's cubs were thereafter distributed
in Indian Zoos and Zoos abroad. They were reportedly inbred to create a white
tiger progeny later. But they disappeared completely from Rewa in 1976. It has
been a political issue since because people associate it with local heritage
and believe tourism generated from their return can be a turnaround for a
parched area reeling under severe water stress. Rewa has been seeing a large
number of people moving out in search of livelihood as agriculture is
difficult.
Ironically , wildlife experts have been very critical of white
tiger breeding and believe it's a waste of money since they have no
conservation value. You need not go Rewa
to see one ! Our
own Vandalur Zoo in Chennai has some. In Dec 2014, TN CM Ms J Jayalalithaanamed two
male white tiger cubs Devaa and Nakulaa and two female cubs as Kalaa and
Maalaa.The cubs were born to a white tigress, Namrutha, at the Arignar Anna
Zoological Park at Vandalur in neighbouringKancheepuram district, an official
release said. In Jan 2o16, the Delhi
Tiger Vijay sired 5 cubs through Kalpana, another tigress.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
Photo
credit : Indian Express
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