Aged tigers to get a home in Sunderbans

The West Bengal forest department wants to give aged tigers a place where they can rest and count their laurels. So, it will set up an old age home for them in the Sunderbans. The home will actually be an enclosure where aged tigers will be pampered and made to feel secure.

They will no longer need to hunt, because food will be served at the enclosure. The enclosure will be a part of a proposed centre that will also have a hospital to treat injured big cats and a breeding centre for adult tigers. All three facilities are part of a Rs10-crore project slated to come up at Jharkhali. In the last few years, old and ailing tigers have crept into villages in search of food.

Forest officials say that even if the aged animals are caught and released into the wild, they would not be able to hunt or would be attacked by stronger tigers. “The rescue centre would be a huge security zone for such tigers,” the source said.