Bhilai’s Maitri Baag Zoo, managed by the Horticulture Section of SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant’s Town Services Department (TSD) has witnessed the arrival of a crocodile and four barking deer here recently. Animals that arrived on exchange were released in their respective enclosures on November 6, 2024. The Central Zoo Authority of India has granted permission as per the animal exchange rules for the exchange of a pair of crocodiles and two pairs of barking deer between Maitri Bagh Zoo of Bhilai and Kanha Pendari Zoo of Bilaspur. In exchange for crocodiles and barking deer as many as 20 Sambar deer shall be handed over to Kanha Pendari Zoo on arrival of the remaining one female Crocodile tentatively by the end of November 2024. It is worth mentioning that a proposal has also been made by the

 

 

Maitri Bagh Zoo Management to the Central Zoo Authority to bring one pair of bears, two ostriches and a pair of peacocks to Bhilai. All these animals are included in the exchange of 20 sambars. Veterinary expert Dr N K Jain, GM (Horticulture-TSD) and in-charge of Maitri Baag Zoo informed that all exchange of wildlife animals among the zoos are carried out as per the animal exchange rules laid down by the Central Zoo Authority of India. The length of this 10-year-old salt/freshwater male crocodile brought to Maitri Baag Zoo is 8 to 9 feet, which is much longer and heavier than the musk crocodile. Salt/freshwater crocodiles mostly are inhabitants of water and only come out of the water to sit in the sun during the winter season for grasping heat. Sometimes they like to stay in the sun for as long as 3 to 4 hours. Their average life span is 40 to 50 years. Barking deer, which is the smallest species of deer, are known to alert their counterparts by making sounds resembling a dog’s bark in apprehension of a predator’s presence. Their canine teeth are quite large, due to which they often injure their companions in mutual fights. The lifespan of a barking deer is 10 to12 years, while the ones brought to Maitri Baag Zoo are 5 to 6 years old at present.