Bhubaneswar, Oct. 20 (ANI): The Nandankanan Zoo in Orissa on Tuesday celebrated the birthday of two tiger cubs.

The zoo was decorated and a cake was cut to celebrate the birthday of Payal and Khushi, the cubs born of a white tigress Kusum.

“Today both these cubs completed one-year. Till now they were living with their mother but today they were released for public display. Today we celebrated their birthday and called the school kids as well,” said Sudarshan Panda, District Forest Officer (DFO).

The celebrations were a good way to raise awareness amongst the people about tiger conservation.

“This is a new way to celebrate the tiger’s birthday. Here it is an innovative method and nowhere tiger’s birthday is celebrated but in Nandankanan they have opened a very good opportunity for us,” said Baisakhi Bhanjdeo, a school student.

Illegal poaching and loss of natural habitat have caused the country’s tiger population to plummet in recent decades.

India’s latest tiger census counted just 1,411 cats, down from 3,642 in 2002 and around 40,000 a century ago. (ANI)