Bengal Safari gets 3rd lion as Suraj, Tanaya have male cub

Siliguri: The pair of Asiatic lions, renamed Suraj and Tanaya from Akbar and Sita after they were brought to the Bengal Safari park in Salugara from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park, gave birth to a male cub, L1, last year. The information was kept under wraps because L1's sibling had tragically passed away during the captive breeding programme. L1 has now regained its health but is still under 24X7 observation. The state forest department has requested CM Mamata Banerjee, who had named the parents, to also name the cub.
The park has seen a sharp spike in animal births this year, with 30 newborns, including three tiger cubs and four Shanghai deer fawn.
In Feb 2024, VHP had moved Calcutta High Court against the names ‘Akbar' and ‘Sita', labelling them "blasphemy". Tripura had also suspended its top forest officer for allegedly misleading govt on the matter. The HC later suggested that Bengal govt change the names and bin the controversy. The lions were then named Suraj and Tanaya by the CM.
According to park authorities, the lions adapted well to their new environment and quickly reproduced. Tanaya gave birth to two cubs, one of whom died. The remaining male cub was carefully nurtured by staff, ensuring its survival. With the cub, the lion population at the park has now grown to three.
State forest minister Birbaha Hansda, who visited the park on Thursday, said: "It is great news for us that after breeding tigers, we have also succeeded in breeding lions. We are very proud. Additionally, there have been births of Shanghai deer and Himalayan black bears. The tiger population has also increased, with eight tigers sent to other zoos as part of an animal exchange programme. We now have 11 tigers in the safari."
Hansda was accompanied by State Zoo Authority member secretary Saurabh Chowdhury, north Bengal chief forester Bhaskar JV, park director E Vijay Kumar, DFO Raja M, assistant director Abhishek Chowdhury and other officials.
Kumar said: "The cub was born in April last year. It is healthy and under constant observation."
The minister said the park will have an adventure park for children, new enclosures for porcupines, an aviary for small birds, a new facility for pythons and snakes and a revamped entrance to the combo safari. There are plans to build enclosures for spectacled langurs, mandrills, hippos and Shanghai deer.