Bengal Safari Park allegedly named lioness Sita. VHP wants court to change it

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has approached the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court, requesting a name change for a lioness at Bengal Safari Park. According to the VHP's lawyer, the lioness was transferred from Tripura and given the name "Sita". The park authorities, on the other hand, have denied assigning any name to the lioness. Two lions were recently brought to the park from Tripura's Sepahijala Zoological Park, with the male lion being named "Akbar" as per VHP claims.

The VHP's north Bengal unit filed the petition on February 16, and it is set to be heard on February 20 by a single bench of the court. The petitioner is seeking a name change for the lioness, stating that the current name may hurt religious sentiments. Additionally, the petition urges that no animal in any zoological park be named after gods and goddesses of any religion in the future.

According to media reports, the lion and lioness, identified by their markings as IL26 and IL27 respectively, arrived at Bengali Safari Park as part of an animal exchange program. However, the park authorities have clarified that the official naming of the animals is still pending.


This matter will now be brought before the court to determine whether the lioness's name should be changed to avoid any potential offense to religious sentiments.

With PTI Inputs