Siberian Tiger in India After 12 Years

GS Paper III Environment

Context: Two Siberian Tigers (Lara and Akamas) arrived at Darjeeling’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park from Cyprus.

Siberian tigers from Cyprus Zoo reach Darjeeling

Exchange program: As a Part of the exchange program, India has sent two Red Pandas to Pafos Zoo Cyprus.
Last Siberian Tiger: The last Siberian Tiger in the country ‘Kunal’ died at 18 in November 2011 at the Nainital Zoo.

About Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZ)

Establishment: Established in 1958, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the largest high-altitude zoo in the country.
Location: District Darjeeling, West Bengal
Conservation projects: It has been successful in the conservation breeding of Red Pandas, Snow Leopards, and Blue Sheep.
CZA rankings: In the year 2022, the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) ranked PNHZ Park First in all categories among all zoos in the country.
Central Zoo Authority CZA:
- Body: It is formed as a statutory body under the Wildlife Protection Act,1972.
- Establishment: Established in 1992.
- Headed by: It is headed by the Environment minister.

Scientific Name: Panthera tigris altaica
Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers.
Geospatial Variation: They inhibit the cold-climate forests of the Primorye and Khabarovsk territories of far-eastern Russia as well as northeastern China.
Vulnerability status:
- IUCN: Endangered

Siberian Tiger

About Cyprus

Location: Mediterranean Sea
Cyprus belongs geographically to Western Asia (Middle East) and politically to Europe.

Cyprus

Cyprus is positioned both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the earth.
Neighboring Countries: Across the sea, it is located to the southeast of Greece, to the south of Turkey, to the west of Lebanon and Syria, and to the north of Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens
Vulnerability:
- IUCN red list: Endangered
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix 1
Distribution: Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas.
- In India, it is found in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal.
It is the state animal of Sikkim.