In a heartwarming event on International Tiger Day, Nandankanan Zoological Park on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar welcomed a new tiger cub. White tigress Mousumi gave birth to three cubs on Monday at 8.51 pm. Unfortunately, two of the cubs were stillborn. Currently, Mousumi and her surviving cub are under complete isolation and CCTV surveillance to ensure their well-being.

Mousumi, an 8-year-old tigress, successfully mated with Royal Bengal Tiger Rajesh, leading to her confirmed pregnancy earlier this month through ultrasonography conducted by the zoo’s veterinarians. Mousumi was born in 2016 at Nandankanan to tiger Manish and tigress Sneha. Tragically, Sneha passed away due to hemorrhagic gastritis in April.

This birth follows another significant event in January when white tigress Rupa delivered three cubs after mating with tiger Rajesh. In that litter, one cub was white and the other two were normal (red). With Mousumi’s new addition, Nandankanan Zoological Park now houses 28 tigers, including 4 white tigers, further enhancing its role in tiger conservation and breeding programs.