Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Nandankanan Zoological Park will have a giraffe and a caiman crocodile in its enclosure to greet its tourists.
The giraffe will be imported from Kolkata and the crocodile from Madras. The two animals will arrive at the zoo under the animal exchange policy of the Centre. The agreement for caiman crocodile has been signed with Madras-based zoo. The agreement over giraffe awaits the approval of the Central Zoo authorities, sources here said. The city zoo had sent a proposal to export three tigers and a white tiger to the Kolkata-based zoo.
Nandankanan has Khushi, a female giraffe, which will get a partner as soon as the giraffe from Kolkata arrives. The arrival of Caiman from Madras will help boost the disintegrating crocodile population in the zoo.
The zoo authorities started negotiations with Kolkata zoo which has agreed to supply a giraffe in exchange for three tigers and a white tiger from Nandankanan.
In 2008, a giraffe got electrocuted on its way to Nandankanan from Kolkata. Nandankanan had sent 22 animals to Kolkata in the exchange deal.
Nandankanan zoological park deputy director Jayanta Das said the pact for crocodile transfer has been finalised and it will arrive at the zoo in January. They were awaiting the nod of Central zoo authorities to finalise the deal for giraffe.
In the first stage of animal exchange programme, Nandankanan had brought five Manipuri deer from Delhi May 25. In the second lot, they brought four African lions and four Zebras from Israel August 13.
