White tigress to be sent to Patna zoo injured, sibling to go instead

New Delhi: A white tigress being sent to Patna Zoo under an animal exchange programme fractured her leg due to alleged negligence and will no longer be shifting home, officials at National Zoological Park said. Instead of two-year-old Durga, her sibling Devi will be going to Patna, they said.Zoo director, Sanveej Kumar denied the allegations of negligence. Durga suffered a fracture inside an enclosure where she was kept on March 2. "She is under treatment and is being closely monitored by the veterinary team," Kumar said. Durga and Devi were born in March 2024 to the white tiger pair Sita and Vijai. In a separate incident, a Nilgai at the zoo died on Tuesday under unclear circumstances, with the cause of death under investigation. The zoo has faced criticism in recent times following allegations by the workers' union that a jackal, which had escaped its enclosure, died of suffocation inside a Himalayan black bear den after staff allegedly used fire and chilli powder to force it out. PTI