https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Welcoming Three White Tiger Cubs in Delhi Zoo After Seven Years

Three white tiger cubs were recently born in Delhi Zoo. The cubs were born after a long gap of seven years. The cubs and the mother are healthy and are being kept in a separate enclosure.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Have you ever seen a white-coloured tiger in the zoo and wondered why and how has he lost its colour? Well, the white fur is caused by the lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in tigers with orange colour fur. The white tiger or ‘bleached tiger’ as they call it, is a leucitic pigmentation variant of the mainland tiger. 

There are very few white tigers existing in the country today and all of them can only be found in zoos or in captivity. Recently, the Delhi Zoological Park witnessed the birth of three white tiger cubs, after a long gap of seven years.

Indian Masterminds spoke with the Director of National Zoological Park, New Delhi, Indian Forest Service officer Dharmdeo Rai, to know more about white tigers and their conservation in the zoo.

GOOD NEWS AFTER SEVEN LONG YEARS

The morning of August 24 brought happiness among the zoo officials as they witnessed the birth of three little white tiger cubs. The mother of the cubs is a 7-year-old white tigress named Sita, who was born in the zoo in 2015. The father is another 7-year-old white tiger, called Vijay, who was brought to the New Delhi Zoo from Lucknow Zoo, six years back.

The birth of the cubs takes the total number of tigers at the Delhi Zoo from eight to now, eleven. Four out of the eight were white tigers. Now, there are seven white tigers and four orange Royal Bengal tigers.

The birth of the cubs is an uncommon phenomenon as, for a white Bengal tiger to be born, both parents must carry the unusual gene for white colouring, which only happens naturally about once in 10,000 births.

REASON BEHIND THE LONG GAP

According to the officer, it took such a long time for white tiger cubs to be born in the zoo because no successful breeding happened, even after several attempts. The National Zoological Park is one of the zoos that participate in the conservation breeding of tigers, and the birth of the cubs is a big step in this direction.

“The selected zoos that participate in the conservation breeding programme exchange animals among themselves for breeding purposes. The animal exchange ensures that there is no in-breeding. The breeding programme is also underway at the Delhi Zoo for other species, including rhinos,” Mr. Rai said.

In 2020, a 6-year-old white tigress, Nirbhaya, mated with a Royal Bengal tiger. Though Nirbhaya gave birth to two cubs on December 10, 2020, she died three days later due to complications. A third cub, which remained inside Nirbhaya, ruptured the tigress’ uterus. However, the first cub died a day after the mother’s death and the second one also succumbed to acute illness a few days later.

“There need to be suitable pairs and the male and female need to accept each other. It’s also a bit of luck. Sometimes tigers may conceive but may give birth to stillborn cubs. This happens in the wild as well. Right now, we have a good population of male and female tigers. We are hopeful that within a year, we will have at least eight to ten tiger cubs,” stated Mr. Rai.

PROTECTION OF THE NEW MOTHER AND HER CUBS

Zoo officials are taking all the necessary steps and precautions to protect Sita and her cubs. Right now, they are kept in a separate enclosure in the zoo and are healthy.

“The little cubs are being nurtured by the mother. We are worried that if we will touch them, the mother might reject her babies. Therefore, we won’t interfere till at least one month. We simply provide food and water to the mother, who is continuously nursing them. So things are looking good now. The mother and cubs are in a separate enclosure, with enough space to move,” Mr. Rai told Indian Masterminds.

The officials are ensuring that there is no disturbance around the mother and the cubs. CCTV cameras have been installed in the enclosure and the little family is being observed and monitored by officials, round the clock.

The cubs are expected to be released in enclosures when they become 3 months old. It takes them nearly 20-22 days to fully open their eyes and, currently, they are fully dependent on their mother.

After the death of another tiger, also called Vijay, who died of old age, a couple of weeks back, the birth of these new tiny tiger cubs has brought happiness once again, to the zoo.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma
Who Is SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma? The 2015-Batch RAS Officer Caught in Yet Another Scandal After Slapping Petrol Pump Employee
Solar Panels
CERC Proposes Buyout Price Mechanism to Ensure Compliance with Renewable Consumption Obligations
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy MNRE
MNRE Invites Creative Minds to Design Official Logo for National Green Hydrogen Mission
RBI
RBI Proposes Mandatory Unique Transaction Identifier for OTC Derivative Trades from April 2026
INS Trikand
Indian Navy’s INS Trikand Executes Heroic Firefighting and Rescue Operation on MT Falcon in Gulf of Aden
gghghghg
Defence Acquisition Council Approves Rs 79,000 Crore for Advanced Military Systems to Boost India’s Defence Capabilities
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT