CHENNAI: Three white tiger cubs were born at Arignar Anna Zoological Park ( Vandalur zoo ) in Chennai recently. Anu, a 10-year old female white tiger, gave birth to three cubs - one male and two females- on April 16.

Bheeshmar, an 11-year-old white tiger fathered the cubs. With the arrival of new inmates, the zoo has 14 white tigers.

In 2006, Anu and Bheeshmar were brought to the Vandalur zoo from the National Zoological Park in New Delhi through an animal exchange programme.

Anu is usually fed seven kilogram of beef and 150 grams of liver every day. After giving birth, she is being provided with an additional 4kg of chicken. Zoo veterinarians are keeping round-the-clock watch on the mother and the cubs through CCTV cameras, said a senior zoo official.

Because of the scorching heat, special preparations were made to keep the enclosure cool. Gunny sacks are hung all around it and drenched with water twice a day. Electric fans were fitted and a wooden board was set up as a bed for the tigress.

The cubs usually weigh around 750 grams at the time of birth. They will be weaned off the mother after three months, whereupon they would be given a diet of meat. An adult tigress of four years can give birth after a pregnancy period of around four months.

White tigers are native to the eastern parts of the world, especially India and China. There are around 100 white tigers in Indian zoos.

