By Bastine Suman Rodrigues
Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoo Park (NZP) is set to welcome new attractions after several years, including a mandrill from Jamshedpur, Hoolock Gibbons from Nagaland, and Zebras from Gujarat. These animals are being brought to the zoo as part of an inter-zoo exchange program, which is likely to be completed in a period of a few months from now.
As a part of the exchange, the NZP will send an African Lion to the Tata Zoological Park, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, in exchange for the Mandrill. The Mandrills, the world’s largest Old World monkeys, are native to west central Africa, and are known for their vibrant, colourful appearance.
Additionally, the NZP has also proposed to acquire more than 40 other animals from the Tata Zoological Park, which include Northern Giraffe, Striped Hyaena, Sloth Bear and others, in exchange for African Lion, Sarus Crane, Mouse Deer and others.
Alongside Mandrills, the Hyderabad zoo park will also receive Hoolock Gibbons from the Nagaland Zoological Park in exchange for ostriches. The gibbons are India’s only ape species and are native to northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Southwest China.
Hyderabad zoo park offers 5 animals in exchange
Meanwhile, the NZP will offer a total of five animals, including White Tiger, the Indian Peafowl, a Mouse Deer, a Red Eared Slider and an Ostrich. In return, it expects to receive six animals from Nagaland, which include the Himalayan Black Bear, Hoolock Gibbon, Bangal Slow Loris, Asian Leaf Turtle, Asian Giant Tortoise, and Burmese Python.
The zoo will also welcome Zebras from Vantara in Gujarat after a gap of 30 years.
Speaking to Siasat.com, IFS, Curator, Nehru Zoological Park, J Vasantha, said that while the Zebras and Hoolock Gibbons are returning to the zoo after a gap of thirty years. The zoo housed Mandrills in 2013.
Vasanta stated that this is an inter-zoo exchange and that the NZP already houses the required enclosures. “New enrichment and diet plans will be curated. The enclosures are designed to suit the habitat and environmental setting of the animal,” she added.
She also confirmed that the animals will be transported to the zoo via road and added that the NZP has also planned to host in-house talk shows, snake shows, and others to reach out to more people.
More exchanges down the line
The zoo has also proposed several other animal exchange programmes with zoological parks across the country. With some of them completed and some awaiting approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
According to official data accessed by Siasat.com, the Zoo has proposed for 309 animals (150 males + 161 females), while 268 (129 males + 137 females + 2 unsexed) are to be received.
So far, at least seven major exchanges have already been completed, while several others await approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Proposals involving Nagaland Zoological Park, Tata Zoo, Jamshedpur and others are currently in different stages of processing.
The 380-acre Hyderabad zoo park currently houses more than 100 species of birds, animals and reptiles, including indigenous animals.
