India News | Rajasthan: Tiger Cub Named After Paralympic Medallist Avani Lekhara

Jaipur, Jul 29 (PTI) A tiger cub in Rajasthan has been named after Paralympic medallist Avani Lekhara, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday.

Two other cubs were named 'Chiranjeevi' and 'Chirayu', he said.

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"To make International Tiger Day more historic, three cubs (two tigers and one tigress) of Ranthambore's tigress T-111 have been named 'Chiranjeevi', 'Chirayu' and 'Avani'," Gehlot tweeted.

"Tigress T-17 was named Krishna after the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Krishna Poonia. Similarly, now the cub will be named Avani after Paralympic medalist @AvaniLekhara," the CM said.

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Lekhara, who belongs to Jaipur, won a gold medal in the 10-metre air rifle standing and a bronze medal in the 50-metre rifle 3 positions at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every year to raise awareness about tiger conservation.

Gehlot said when tigers in the country were on the verge of extinction, former prime minister Indira Gandhi launched 'Project Tiger' in April 1973, which led to an unprecedented increase in the number of tigers in the country.

"In the last one month, six cubs have been born in Ranthambore, Rajasthan. The Government of Rajasthan is working with commitment to preserve the forests and wildlife of the state," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)