And finally… pride and prejudice
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Hindu nationalists are suing a zoo to prevent a lioness named after a Hindu deity from sharing an enclosure with a lion named after a 16th-century Muslim emperor.
Sita — named after an avatar of Lakshmi, one of the principal goddesses of Hinduism — is reportedly sharing an enclosure in the West Bengal zoo with Akbar, named for the Mughal emperor who conquered much of the Indian subcontinent.
A spokesperson for Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which is bringing the lawsuit, said: “Sita cannot stay with the Mughal emperor Akbar.”
The group says this “amounts to blasphemy and is a direct assault on the religious belief of all Hindus”, The Guardian reports.
VHP seeks a court order banning zoos from using religious names for animals.
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