States » EastPosted at: Oct 30 2026 10:44PM


New Town Zoo to get tiger by April-May; Bengal Forest Minister names newborn giraffe Titli

By Snehal Sengupta
Kolkata, Oct 30 (UNI) West Bengal Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon on Friday named a giraffe calf Titli at the New Town Zoo and said the facility is set to get its first tiger between April and May next year, with the animal likely to be brought from Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri.
“The tiger will come sometime between April and May next year. The enclosure has already been constructed and the process has begun,” Oraon told UNI during his visit to the New Town Zoo.
Asked how many tigers would initially be brought to the facility, the minister said only one was planned in the first phase.
“For now, let it be one. We will see later,” he said.
The tiger is expected to come from Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri, according to the necessary permissions from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a senior forester said. The relatively short distance between Siliguri and Kolkata would facilitate the transportation of the animal in a specially designed enclosure lined with protective material and equipped to ensure adequate ventilation.
The New Town facility is now putting final touches to the dedicated enclosure before introducing the animal.
The new enclosure has more than 70 per cent open space and includes a cave-like structure at one end. The tiger will be able to roam freely within the paddock behind an iron fence, while visitors will be separated from the animal by a toughened glass partition.
There will be a gap of around 1.5 feet between the glass wall and the iron fencing. The top of the fencing will be electrically energised as an additional safety measure to prevent visitors from climbing into the enclosure and the big cat from jumping out, a senior Forest Department official and the zoo manager said.
Before the tiger is moved into the paddock, the entire area will undergo a detailed safety inspection. Large electromagnets will be used to scan the ground and remove residual metal objects, including iron nails, spikes and other construction material that may have been left behind during construction.
Officials said the precaution was particularly important because a tiger's padded paws enable it to move silently but are sensitive and susceptible to injury from sharp metal objects.
Remote-operated trap cages have also been installed in the feeding zone of the paddock. These will be used to feed the tiger while minimising direct human intervention.
“The paddock area will resemble a tiger's natural habitat, with a mix of small patches of vegetation and open spaces. The enclosure is nearing completion and we will double-check everything, including the security and safety features, before the tiger is brought in,” the zoo manager said.
Oraon, who inspected the enclosure, said he was satisfied with the facility but felt that additional space in the zoo would make it better.
“I liked the zoo. It needs a little more space; it would be better if it were slightly larger. We are trying to see whether it can be further developed. I will speak to HIDCO and see if they can provide some additional space,” he said.
Once the tiger arrives in New Town, it will initially be kept in quarantine to allow it to acclimatise to its new surroundings before being released into the paddock. Veterinary personnel will monitor the animal during this period.
Meanwhile, Oraon named the zoo's giraffe calf Titli during his visit. The calf was born on July 28 to Ramu and Sonia, the zoo's resident male and female giraffes, which arrived at the New Town Zoo in 2022 from the Alipore Zoo. The name was suggested by the giraffe handlers.
The zoo currently houses an adult hippopotamus, a pair of zebras and three giraffes, besides marsh and saltwater crocodiles. Its deer collection includes barking deer and spotted deer.
The primate section includes capuchin monkeys, golden-headed lion tamarins and white-lipped tamarins.
The aviary houses a range of birds, including black swans native to Australia and New Zealand, an Abdim's stork from Africa, a magpie goose, barnacle geese, Chinese geese, blue-and-yellow macaws, and greater and lesser cockatoos.
The planned arrival of the tiger will expand the New Town Zoo's collection of large carnivores and restore a tiger presence to a Kolkata zoo after a gap of several years. UNI SEN NST CDS
Tags: #New Town Zoo to get tiger by April-May; Bengal Forest Minister names newborn giraffe Titli
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