BENGALURU: In honour of 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Hima Das, the Bannerghatta Biological Park management has named a six-month-old tigeress Hima.
The cub will make it first public appearance on July 28, as a part of the International Tiger Day, in the BBP safari zone. Hima will make her appearance along with three other males and five females.
To mark the day, BBP will organise a series of programmes to understand the endangered species. Karnataka boats of the highest tiger population in India, 406, as per the 2014 tiger census report.
Ravindran D S, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Principal Secretary to government, finance department, will be the chief guest.
Zoo visitors will get a chance to learn more about tigers and conservation methods. A model of the impact of tiger extinction will be displayed near the zoo entrance.
Tiger facts and the role of zoos in conservation will be displayed near the tiger enclosure. Visitors will also have a chance to make their own tiger handimals at the park, Vanashree Vipin Singh, Executive Director, BBP said.
This is not the first time animals have been named after celebrities.
Earlier, two sloth bears were named after former captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj, in the Bannerghatta Rescue Centre.
Many influential personalities have adopted and christened animals in the BBP including Infosys chairperson Sudha Murty and Managing Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise director Ashok Kheny.