Two Siberian tigers from a zoo in Cyprus reached Darjeeling on Sunday evening.
Lara and Akamas, both aged under two years, will have a new home at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, popularly known as Darjeeling zoo.
But before that, they will be kept at a quarantine centre outside the zoo for a month to prevent infections. Then, they will be moved to a special enclosure in the zoo, said an official.
The tigers flew from Larnaca in Cyprus to Dubai. After a 12-hour transit, the two flew to Calcutta, landing around 7pm.
The tigers reached Bengal Safari in Siliguri in two air-conditioned ambulances, accompanied by a team of vets.
The ambulances reached Siliguri around 4.40pm on Sunday. They reached Darjeeling a little after 7.30pm.
The tigers are used to cold conditions. “The hills are colder than the plains. They should be able to adjust here,” said Basavaraj. S. Holeyachi, director of the Darjeeling zoo.
From the Siliguri park, the cages were shifted to two smaller vehicles for the uphill journey to Darjeeling.
The tigers were given just water and chicken during the journey from Cyprus to Darjeeling, said Holeyachi.
“It is a long and tedious journey. We gave them light food. At the quarantine centre, after the first round of checkup, they will be given heavy food like beef and mutton,” said an senior official at the Darjeeling zoo.
The quarantine centre has a night enclosure. The tigers will be kept there. “The enclosures are like those in the zoo. The only difference is that they are not in public display,” said an official.
The last Siberian tiger at the Darjeeling zoo died in 2007. It now has a pair of Bengal tigers.
The Siberian tigers were exchanged with a pair of Himalayan red pandas which are on their way to the Paphos zoo in Cyprus.
The zoological park in the Darjeeling hills was recognised by the Central Zoo Authority as the best zoo in the country in 2022, among the 130-odd zoological parks across India.
It was established on August 14, 1958, and has gained international recognition for conservation and captive breeding programmes of the red panda.