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Bhubaneswar, Dec 4: The Nandankanan Zoological Park has successfully bred two pairs of hybrid lions that were recently brought from Bangalore’s Bannerghatta Biological Park to revive its breeding programme.
The breeding happened a few days ago at the lion safari and if it proves successful, the zoo may get a couple of lion cubs in the next 15 weeks, said sources.
Lion cubs were born in the zoo 10 years ago, but the breeding plans were shelved as the lions were ageing.
The lion count in the zoo has been decreasing for several years as the animals are ageing. Once, the 20-hectare lion safari of one of the premiere zoos in the country had boasted of 54 lions. At present, the zoo is home to 10 lions, including two Asiatic and eight hybrid lions.
The zoo now also plans to bring two pairs of African lions and zebras from Israel’s Tel Aviv zoo but this is getting delayed because of the complicated process of obtaining certificates from the Centre.
The zoo has recently sought a no-objection certificate from the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and approval from the apex body of zoos — the central zoo authority (CZA).
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