Agartala: Tripura MLA Sushanta Deb celebrated his birthday on Wednesday by adopting a Royal Bengal Tiger at the Sepahijala Zoo.
The tiger, Shera, who arrived at the zoo from North Bengal seven months ago, will now be under Deb’s care for the next three months.
During this period, the MLA will cover all expenses related to food, medicine and other essentials for the big cat.
During the occasion, Deb reflected on his lifelong passion for social work.
“Since childhood, I have wanted to contribute to society. While people often focus on helping each other, animals also need care and compassion. To preserve environmental balance, we must show love to animals as well,” Deb said.
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“That is why I chose to mark my birthday here at the Sepahijala Zoo,” he added.
Zoo Director Biswajit Das while explaining the animal adoption scheme said that caring for Shera costs approximately Rs 7.70 lakh annually.
“Our animal adoption programme began five years ago. Though the MLA initially faced some administrative challenges, approval from the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden was later received,” Das said.
“An estimated Rs 2 lakh will cover Shera’s needs for the next three months. We encourage more people to adopt animals as a way to support the zoo’s mission,” he added.
Deb urged the community to come together in order to create a balanced and compassionate environment for all living beings.