Lessons in Kannada to communicate with lions

It was during the drive from Bangalore to Mumbai that Rathod realized the two royal cats can follow commands only in the local language of the state where they had been brought up. Since then,he has been learning Kannada with help from Bannerghata Park officials.

Ravindra and Shobha arrived in the early hours of Sunday,the park having acquired them in exchange for two white tigers. They will soon be the star attraction of the park’s wildlife safari trails,though they will not be on display immediately.

“We will wait for the animals to get used to the new environment. But they are healthy and we will begin to feed them their regular diet soon,” said SGNP veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangale.

The acquisition has given the wildlife safari a total of six lions and eight tigers. “Our other four lions are all over 20 years old now and can’t proliferate. We are looking forward at the new young,healthy cats to bring a new breed of healthy lions,” said Dr P N Munde,conservator of forests.

Superintendent Rathod,veterinarian Jangale and other national park staff had taken seven-year-old white tigers Arya and Razia,male and female,to Bannerghata on June 18.

“We went there in a Sumo and a tempo. The tempo in which Arya and Razia were transported in two separate cages was equipped with medical equipment and food. The lions were brought back in the same cages.”