Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo received one pair each of striped hyena, grey wolf and sloth bear from Jaipur Zoo under the animal exchange programme of Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on Friday. The animals arrived in the city from Jaipur in four different vehicles on Friday. A five-member team from Jaipur zoo also reached the city to get a pair of tigers from Gorewada Rescue Centre, informed Shatnik Bhagwat, Gorewada Zoo Director, to ‘The Hitavada’. As per the sources, Maharajbag Zoo had one hyena in 2002 which died after a few years. Since then, the zoo has no hyena. It is for the first time that Gorewada zoo received a pair of hyenas along with two grey wolves, a rarity for those visiting the zoo.

 

The grey wolf is an endangered species which ranges from Southwest Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Similarly, striped hyena is a near threatened species and native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. “We will keep the animals in rescue centre for acclimatisation. They will stay there till the completion of walking trail in the zoo and then they will release into their specially constructed enclosures. Till then they will be kept away from tourists and visitors,” said Bhagwat. More animals and birds are likely to come in Gorewada Zoo in coming days under animal exchange programme and the formalities are underway, said the Zoo Director. Currently, there are two tigers, six leopards, four sloth bears and 70 herbivore are residing in Gorewada zoo. The zoo also has some birds species and more are likely to reach soon. In the month of March, the zoo received a number of herbivore and birds, including some endangered animals from Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, Lucknow. Under the exchange programme, Gorewada zoo will send two sloth bears to Lucknow. Meanwhile, after the recent exchange, the number of sloth bears has increased to six at the Gorewada zoo.