Lucknow, Aug 25: Jai, the six-year-old white tiger in Lucknow Zoo, will soon get a new companion from Chennai. Jai and Vijay were born to white tigress Vishakha in the Lucknow Zoo in 2016. The siblings parted ways in 2019 when Vijay was sent to Delhi Zoo as a part of an animal exchange program.
Another white tiger Geeta then became Jai’s companion but Geeta was later sent to Gorakhpur Zoo. At that time, it was proposed that a white tiger from Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai would be sent to Gorakhpur Zoo. But the proposal did not get permission from the Central Zoo Authority. As a result, Lucknow Zoo had to part with Geeta.
Geeta’s departure was sudden and unexpected and Jai became visibly lonely. Jai has been living alone while his mother Vishakha is in another enclosure. Zoo authorities never pair a mother tigress with its progeny.
Zoo director V K Mishra said, “We have requested Chennai Zoo to send a white tigress to Lucknow. We are confident of getting approval from the Central Zoo Authority in this regard soon. After final confirmation, we will send a team to Chennai to accompany the big cat to Lucknow. The process would take about a month.”
