What’s in a name? Pavan, Arjun or Bhakti, it doesn’t matter to the lions

Apart from Akash, there are three Bengal Tigers — Bhakti, Arjun and Ridhi — brought from Aurangabad.

But how were all these names chosen for the lion family? The reply is succinct. “Just”, shrugs director Rajkumar Jadhav, dispelling any notion one may have harboured about a method, system or intention behind naming animals.

“There is no specific protocol for naming animals in the zoo. Most of the animals in Pune zoo have come with their existing names from their birthplaces,” said Jadhav. He further explained that only a few animals are named. “These are the bigger animals staying in individual enclosures. There’s no use in naming animals who are living in crowds,” he said.

In fact, he feels it is not even necessary to give names to animals. “For example, a new leopard that arrived in the zoo from Hampi, Karnataka, is yet to be named. This one was rescued from a residential area so he didn’t come with any name known to us” he said. Then there is an entire category of animals who do not even possess the hearing trait.

However, he admits there are exceptions. Like once they had hosted a rare naming ceremony. That was in 2019, chaired by the former mayor Mukta Tilak, who named the newly born Bengal Tiger Akash with a bit of fanfare.

Sheikh Shahed, an official from the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), said despite no rule, the department has to maintain files for the animals, where the names are mentioned. “Often, names are given by someone like a caretaker or one who feeds the animals. It is not required for any authority to name an animal. However, in the last recent case, the Director of the Zoo, Vijay Patil was asked to choose the names of the animals from a pool of suggestions from the public,” said Shahed.

Currently, there are two elephants in Pune Zoo, Meera and Janaki, who received their names from their earlier home in Odisha. Similarly, Laxmi, the only white tigress in the zoo, was brought along with her name from the Pradhyuman Zoological Park in Rajkot in 2021.

Amid recent controversies over naming zoo animals, Jadhav has the last word indeed when he opines that the names are really for the public, the animals do not care what they are called. “From our side, there is more emphasis on the care given to the animals, rather than names,” he concludes.