Madhya Pradesh's tiger 'Pancham' will now roar in India's biggest zoo in Jamnagar

A five-year-old tiger named - 'Pancham', who was living at rehabilitation centre of Van Vihar National Park located in Madhya Pradesh's capital city Bhopal, was transported to Gujarat on Tuesday.

Now, tiger 'Pancham' will be living in Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRC) at Jamnagar in Gujarat, which is owned by Reliance Group. Newly established on over 280 acres of land, GZRC is considered the world's biggest zoo, in terms of number and species of wild animals at one place.

As per the officials in Wild Life Department in Bhopal, a team of GZRC had visited here to complete legal procedures of transformation of big cat and had taken 'Pancham' to Jamnagar on Tuesday. Officials said that tiger was sent to the Jamnagar-based facility in a healthy condition.

The tiger was transferred to Gujarat following the direction and approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi. "The Central Zoo Authority has permitted to transfer tiger to Jamnagar zoo in January this year. Some leopards from Van Vihar Bhopal will also be sent to Jamnagar," a senior official from Madhya Pradesh's Wildlife Department told IANS on Wednesday.

Before living in Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park, 'Pancham' lived in Pench Tiger Reserve, which is located in Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh. Now, Van Vihar National Park is left with 13 tigers after Pancham's relocation.

As per the officials, Pancham was rescued and shifted to Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park in December 2020. Pancham was three-and-a-half-year-old when his canine teeth got damaged due to an unidentified reason.

Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand Central Zoo Authority has also allowed the transfer of two tigers named - "Betal and Shikha" from Nainital's Govind Ballabh Pant Zoological Park and Ranibagh Rescue Centre to Reliance group owned Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar in Gujarat.