Kanan was a wild tigress who jumped into a zoo enclosure in 1967, lured by a male

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

. Kanan sacrificed her freedom for captive

Pradeep and entered his open-air enclosure at the

Nandankanan Zoo Nandankanan Zoological Park is a zoo and botanical garden in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Established in 1960, it was opened to the public in 1979 and became the first zoo in India to join World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2009. ...

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar is ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, Eastern India. Unfortunately, Pradeep would not accept Kanan as he already had a companion named Sikha. Kanan was celibate until her death on 21 July 1978 without accepting any other mate. Now, the Kanan Sq. at Nandankanan Zoo "immortalizes this iconic appreciate tale".

References

Individual tigers in India Bhubaneswar 1978 animal deaths {{feline-stub