Nahargarh Rescue Centre in Rajasthan for lions and tigers

Tigers enjoy cool time at Rajasthan's rescue centre
by Lokendra Singh

Jaipur: Officials of Nahargarh Rescue Centre in Rajasthan have made special arrangements for lions and tigers to help them beat the heat. Water coolers have been installed in every cage and the caretakers of north India's lone tiger and lion rescue centre, are working round the clock to give a cool atmosphere to the big cats. One cooler is installed between two animals and "Khus-Khus" mats, which are continuously kept wet so that hot waves convert into cool breeze, wrap a cage. Even the diet of the animals, is taken care of. Moreover, to prevent the tigers from getting dehydrated in the scorching heat, they are being given a dose of glucose in the water that they drink. "To save the tigers and lions from the scorching heat of summers, we have installed water coolers in every cage. We bathe them three to four times a day and to supplement the water loss in their bodies we give them a dose of glucose so that the animals do not get dehydrated," said Tejraj Sharma, superintendent, Nahargarh Rescue Centre. The big cats have struck a friendly chord with the caretakers. They usually growl and roar with a smallest hint of water near their cage. "We bathe the tigers around four to five times a day. If they go and sit near water, we come to know that they are feeling the heat, so we bathe them again," said Dulichand, a caretaker at the Centre. The animals, mostly brought from circuses or injured in sanctuaries, are housed in the rescue centre for recuperation. The number of tigers in India has plummeted to around 1,411, nearly half the previous estimate, as humans either kill them for their body parts or encroach on their habitat, according to a government survey. Experts believe that India 's dwindling tiger population will never recover and it will take a miracle to save those left from habitat destruction and poaching. The previous census, carried out in 2001 and 2002, said there were 3,642 tigers. A century ago there were 40,000.
-June 9, 2009

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