New additions at zoo soon

News courtesy-The Hindu

HYDERABAD: Quite a few new additions are in the offing at the Nehru Zoological Park with the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) giving a nod for exchange of different animals from other zoos. Prominent acquisitions to be taken up in a month's time include leopard cat, gaur and hippopotamus.

From Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden, Patna, the city zoo will be receiving a pair of rhinoceros while giving pairs of Asiatic lion and white tiger in return. At the same time, Mysore Zoo will be giving pairs of gaur, hyena and hippopotamus to accept a pair of white tiger and green iguana. Also approved by the CZA is the exchange of two pairs each of leopard cat and pig-tailed macaque apart from Himalayan black bear from Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura, for exchange of few species, including emus, from the Nehru Zoo.

“The CZA has recently approved these exchanges and the work towards shifting the selected animals and birds will start by month-end,” said the Nehru Zoo Director, P. Mallikarjuna Rao. Presently, the zoo here does not have rhinoceros, hippopotamus and leopard cat in its collection. Meanwhile, the search for a mate for the lone giraffe here continues. The Nehru Zoo, which did not have the species for almost two decades, could get a male giraffe a couple of years ago and has been making efforts to get a female since then. “We are in touch with the zoos in Kolkata, Mysore and Delhi and hope to find a partner for the giraffe soon,” he added.