Barang: Good news for animal lovers in the state. They will soon see new visitors at the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) here. A pair of giraffes and a couple of yellow anacondas are all set to arrive at the zoo.
Necessary permission from the Central Zoo Authority for bringing in these animals has already been received and they will be brought after the heatwave subsides, sources said.
Sources informed that a giraffe named ‘Khusi’ has been leading a lonely life in enclosure No.100 of NZP for more than two years. To give her company, a decision had been taken a year back to bring in two more giraffes.
Accordingly the zoo officials held discussions with their counterparts in Mysore Zoo. It was agreed upon that an exchange of giraffes and chimpanzees would take place and the Central Zoo Authority also gave its permission.
However, initially the process fell through because of lack of initiative from both sides. But the process again revived when authorities of both the zoos met May 22 at New Delhi during a meeting. The deputy director of NZP, Jayant Kumar Das took the initiative and a consensus was arrived upon for the exchange programme to go through.
Similarly, the way for bringing in a pair of yellow anacondas from Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai has already been decided. The NZP would give a pair of water monitors in exchange.
When contacted, Das said, “Both sides have agreed to the exchange of animals. The ‘letter of permission’ from the Central Zoo Authority is expected soon. Once the harsh prevailing heatwave ends, the exchange process will start.”
PNN
