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Bhubaneswar, July 20: Nadankanan Zoological Park (NZP) had some good tidings to convey Wednesday. The zoo received five dwarf caimans from Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Tuesday. The park had lost a bison calf on July 4 and the 18-year-old white tiger Geeta on June 23 and the latest acquisition gives reason for cheer.
NZP officials said the park received two males and three females in exchange for four water monitors (one male and three female). The caimans arrived at the park about 11 pm Tuesday.
Range officer Samir Kumar Sahoo and doctor DR Mohapatra accompanied the animals to the park.
Jayanta Das, the deputy director of NZP, said: “All Crocodiles are in good health. They will remain in quarantine for about two days after which visitors can see them.”
He added that NZP was planning to bring one male gharial to the park under an animal exchange programme. “We need a male gharial regarding which we have written to the Lucknow zoo. We have are awaiting approval from the Central Zoo Authority,” Jayanta said.
In February, a male giraffe Joy, which NZP had received from Alipore Zoo in exchange for four tigers, had died within days of arriving at the park.
Recently NZP authorities said they had cancelled links with Alipore Zoo and won’t deal with them in future as well. The park is now trying to bring a male giraffe. “Initially we held talks with zoo authorities in Bangalore and Chennai for a giraffe. But while one zoo is willing to give only a female giraffe, the other has a very young specimen to offer. We are trying to contact other zoos,” Jayanta said.
The caimans will be kept in enclosure 46D at NZP, sources added.
