Tigresses Bijlee and Mastani to go on double date at SNGP

Bijlee and Mastani travelled 900 km to meet their mates Yash and AnandThe tigers of Sanjay Gandhi National Park have met their match mdash in love that is It has been seven months since the park authorities brought two tigresses all the way from Pench so SGNPrsquos tiger brothers Anand and Yash wouldnrsquot be lonelyFinally the matchmaking process is over and the park officials have decided that Yash will be released with Bijlee while Anand will be released with Mastani However there is still some time to go before the big cat couples are released for matingA park official confirmed ldquoThe two tigresses that were brought to SGNP from Pench are doing very well and will soon be released with the captive tigers here As per the current plans Bijli will be released with Yash and Mastani will be released with AnandrdquoCouples counsellingWhile Anand is six years old and Yash is eight both the tigresses are aged seven years While Bijlee TF1 was named so because of her aggressive nature Mastani TF2 was named for her docile temperamentSources said although the tigers have not been allowed into the same enclosure with the two tigresses they have been have been kept alongside their prospective mates to ensure that there is minimal tension and fighting when they are eventually released togetherStarting a familyAnand and Yash along with their sister Laxmi are the offspring of Royal Bengal tigers Palash and Basanti Their parents particularly Palash were star attractions at the park but died when they were 13 years oldThe main motive behind bringing Bijlee and Mastani to Mumbai was because the authorities want to increase the population of captive tigers in order to increase the popularity of SGNPrsquos tiger safariHowever mating was not possible earlier as the parkrsquos tigers were all from the same family and inbreeding would have led to severe genetic problems among the cubsHowever the tigresses have so far been kept in secondary enclosures Officials had told this reporter last week that the females were yet to be released in the safari area as repairs on the iron framework were still in progress This came as a massive disappointment for park visitors who had hoped to see the happy tiger couple gambolling aroundOfficial speakAsked when the tiger pairs will be released together for mating SGNP Director and Chief Conservator of Forest Anwar Ahmed said ldquoAt present our main aim is to release the tigers one by one in the primary cages so that they get accustomed to the new area Once they get accustomed the decision about releasing them together will be takenrdquo