Jayalalithaa christens 6 tiger cubs

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, an avid animal lover christened five tiger cubs on Saturday, including three white tigers, born at the famous Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur.

Two female white tiger cubs were named as "Thaaraa" and "Meeraa" while a male was christened "Bheemaa" by Jayalalithaa, an official release said. Another two male tiger cubs were christened as "Aadityaa" and "Karnaa" by her. These cubs were given birth by two tigresses in March this year. Jayalalithaa also named a female tiger cub, rescued from

Sathyamangalam forest area and sheltered at the park, as "Uthraa", the release said.

Jayalalithaa had last year visited the park, one of the largest zoos in South East Asia sprawling over an area of 602 hectare and visited by about 20 lakh people annually, and named seven tiger cubs.