UAE gifts 18 big cats to zoo in Pakistan

Lahore: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has gifted 18 big cats, including four white tigers, six Bengal tigers and eight African lions to a zoo in Pakistan.

The big cats gifted by UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum reached Islamabad on Wednesday and will be shifted to the Lahore Safari Zoo on April 22, the Express Tribune reported.

Wild life authorities said that the lions and tigers would join the existing big cats currently housed at the zoo. They also plan to pair the lions and tigers with those currently at the zoo.

The wild animals reached the country on a special jet. Interestingly, the zoo's management had decided to auction surplus lion and tiger cubs owing to a lack of space in February, the daily said.

At the time, 30 different types of tigers and lions, including their cubs, were present in the Lahore Safari Zoo.