Royal Bengal Tigress Siddhi Gives Birth to Five Tiger Cubs at National Zoological Park, Delhi

After January 16, 2005, Royal Bengal Tigress delivered cubs at National Zoological Park, New Delhi. On May 4, 2023, the Royal Bengal Tigress (RBT) named Siddhi gave birth to five cubs, out of which two are alive, while three were stillborn.

The mother tigress is taking care of the cubs. The zoo staff is monitoring the mother and her cubs.

National Zoological Park, New Delhi has four adult Royal Bengal Tigers in its collection and the house names of these tigers are Siddhi, Karan, Aditi and Barkha. Tigress Siddhi and Aditi are of wild origin and were acquired from Gorewada, Nagpur.

National Zoological Park (Delhi Zoo) is housing tigers since its inauguration on November 1, 1959. The first pair of lions were received from Junagadh Zoo in exchange for one pair of tiger cubs on May 14, 1969.

From the time of the acquisition of the tiger, Delhi Zoo is maintaining its population for conservation, education, and display. Tigers have bred well in Delhi Zoo and have also been given in exchange abroad.

In 2010, Central Zoo Authority started a coordinated planned conservation breeding programme of critically endangered wild animal species, which is also the main objective of National Zoo Policy 1998. For this, co-ordinated planned conservation breeding programme, 73 critically endangered wild animal species were selected and co-ordinating & participating zoos were identified for each species.

Under this, nationally coordinated planned conservation breeding programme, Delhi Zoo has been selected.

To maintain genetic heterozygosity among the population of zoo tigers, animal exchange programmes have been undertaken. The present acquisition of Tigers is also part of a nationally coordinated planned conservation breeding programme to reproduce a genetically healthy population of tigers.