Jammu, Nov 16, (IANS): A pair of Royal Bengal Tigers aged nine years has reached the Jambu Zoo at Nagrota in Jammu district from the Aringar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai, an official statement said on Thursday.

The tiger pair has been brought here in exchange of a pair of Himalayan black bear from the Jambu Zoo as part of an animal exchange programme.

The Royal Bengal Tiger is one of the largest, fiercest, and most powerful members of the Big Cat family. Every tiger has a distinct stripe pattern which makes them different from other tigers and makes it easy in counting them during tiger census.

There are around 3,167 tigers in India’s forests, which is more than 75 per cent of the global tiger population as per the 2023 census.

"The tiger pair will be housed in a naturalistic and enriched enclosure spanning more than 4,500 sq mt as per the Central Zoo Authority’s norms. The enclosure has water ponds, machans, and heating and ventilation facility for extreme weather condition.

"The tigers will will be kept under quarantine for a week after which they will be released in the paddock for public display," the statement said.