Actor Sivakarthikeyan has adopted a tiger from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, in Chennai’s Vandalur. According to one report in The Hindu, the actor decided to adopt the white tigress named Anu for a period of six months and gave a letter to the zoo authorities on Tuesday.
The actor reportedly said, “It is the responsibility of every citizen to protect animals that are facing a threat. So, the public should come forward to adopt at least one of the 174 species that are housed in the zoo.”
Zoo Director Yuvaraj received Sivakarthikeyan’s letter. According to one report in the Times of India, the actor has paid Rs 2.12 lakh to adopt the 10-year-old white tiger.
According to The Hindu, donors who adopt wildlife will be allowed to participate in the day-to-day upkeep activities of the animals. They may even be allowed to feed the animals in the enclosure.
Ten-year-old Anu is the first successful instance of captive breeding of the white tiger species at the zoo. Anu was brought over to Chennai from the New Delhi zoo in 2006.
Three years later, in 2009, Anu, along with 11-year-old male white tiger Bheeshmar gave birth to three baby white tiger cubs, one male and two female. Two of these cubs, Akansha and Narmadha, have gone on to make their own families at the zoo.
According to the Animal Adoption Program of the zoo, launched in 2009, members of the public can adopt any animal by paying for their daily feeding charges.
Details about the zoo’s adoption program can be found here.