Salunke is uneducated, but has every detail of Gabbar. “My tiger was strong and sturdy. It took us time to become friends, but then he could identify me by my scent,” he said.

Salunke bonds with animals beyond the call of duty. He had rescued Gabbar and Jhanvi (a tigress) during floods in 2005. Such is Salunke’s passion that he dutifully keeps a diary of each of the tigers in the zoo, detailing their behaviour. He could also accurately predict the birthdates of the three tigress cubs, who were also born in captivity in the Sayaji Baug zoo.

Zoo Curator Dr C B Patel said: “It will be difficult to replace Gabbar, because he was born in the zoo. However, we are negotiating with Sakkar Baug zoo. We will have to exchange some animals for a tiger. It will be confirmed soon.”

Dr V J Rana, director, Sakkar Baug zoo, said, “We have six tigers and nearly nine tigresses. We have no problem giving a tiger to the Sayaji Baug zoo.”