After six years, the Maharajbag zoo which is run by Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), got three pairs of Hog Deer and two Peahens from Kanan Pendari Zoological Garden, Bilaspur on Wednesday morning.

The zoo management received these wild animals under the animal exchange programme of Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi. CAZ which is a statutory body of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, approved the proposal of Maharajbag Zoo for exchange of animals in just two days.

“We were happy that CZA approved our proposal in just two days which might be the happened first time. Even we got these animals without giving any other animal,” said Dr Sunil Bawaskar, officer in-charge, Maharajbag Zoo.

“Bilaspur zoo asked for a leopard from us and in reply they were ready to give two pares of hog deer and two peahens. But they got a leopard from somewhere else and send these wild animals to us,” said Dr Bawaskar.

It is the first time that the zoo received six hog deer which housed in a 1,000 sq mt area close to the present deer enclosure. The city zoo has peacocks, but there were no peahens. But the Bilaspur zoo also send two peahens to Nagpur. In December 2011, Bilaspur zoo had received a tigress from Maharajbag zoo in exchange of a pair of blackbucks and jackals. “We have one male jackal in the zoo and we require a female. We have send the proposal to CZA and waiting for its approval,” said Dr Bawaskar.