Lion cubs in Pipli zoo named as Arjun, Gita, Sudha
BORN TO A PAIR OF GIR LIONS AT THE ZOO ON JUNE 7, THE CUBS WERE CHRISTENED BY STATE FORESTS MINISTER
KARNAL:HARYANA forests and wildlife minister Rao Narbir Singh on Tuesday named the three cubs of an Asiatic lioness at Pipli zoo in Kurukshetra. The male cub has been christened as Arjun and the females as Gita and Sudha.
While the names Arjun and Gita have been taken from Mahabharta, Sudha surprised everyone present on the occasion as ‘Sudha’ is the surname of local BJP MLA Subhash, who was also present.
According to the officials of state wildlife department, theses cubs were born to a pair of Gir lions Geet and Sakshi at the zoo on June 7.
The ‘namkaran’ (naming) ceremony was a special occasion for the officials at the zoo as they had to struggle to keep the cubs alive after their mother Sakshi did not lick them after birth. She did not even lactate and they were fed on Us-manufactured artificial milk.
Interacting with mediapersons, Rao commended the efforts of Dr Ashok Khasa for providing a special care to the cubs right from their birth. He said the cubs will become a centre of attraction at the zoo and the government has provided all facilities for them.
Dr Khasa said the cubs have now started consuming minced meat and soup.
“They are kept in a special cell and are being given special care. A CCTV camera has also been installed for their regular monitoring.”
The pair of lions, Geet and Sakshi, were brought to Pipli zoo from Junagarh in Gujarat in December 2015. Sakshi had delivered six cubs in two consecutive years, but they could not survive, zoo officials said.