Month-old tiger cubs new favourites in Ranchi's zoo

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India] May 07 (ANI): Three newborn tiger cubs have become the centre of attraction for visitors at Birsa Zoological Park in India's eastern city, Ranchi.
Due to an increased footfall, the zoo authority on Sunday installed screens which aired live CCTV footage of the cubs with their mother for the first time. The visitors are not allowed to see the cubs directly, to make sure they are given enough privacy in their early days.
"One month has passed, and the cubs are growing up so we have installed this big screen outside (the tiger enclosure) so that people can watch the tiger cubs without disturbing them," Principal Chief Conservator, R. N. Singh said.
The zoological park previously had three adult tigers- Shiva, Malik, and Anushka- among which, the latter two had three cubs. Both the mother and the cubs are kept under watch to keep them safe and healthy.
"It is fortunate that we got to see the cubs. Otherwise, it is not possible as no one usually can go so deep in the forest, near a tiger den. Now, we have got an easy way to see them. For everyone who wants to see the cubs, this facility is quite good," said Mehrunisha, a visitor.
According to latest data by the environment ministry, the count of tigers in India has risen from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,500 in 2016. Conservation experts credit the rise in population to better management and policing of tiger habitats across the country.
India was home to an estimated 40,000 tigers at the turn of the last century, but poaching and the loss of habitat brought them to the brink to extinction. (ANI)