Birds and reptiles of Coimbatore’s VOC Park Zoo, a landmark leisure spot established in 1965, were shifted to other zoos in the State on Friday.
The Central Zoo Authority had cancelled the zoo’s recognition in January 2022 due to infrastructure and maintenance issues, and it was remaining closed to visitors since then.
The birds and reptiles were shifted to Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur in Chennai, and Amirthi Zoological Park in Vellore district.
The shifted birds include one Malabar pied hornbill, five Brahminy kites, one Sarus crane, 51 Rose-ringed parakeets, 27 Alexandrine parakeets, 18 Red-breasted parakeets and 13 Rosy pelicans.
Five Russell’s vipers, eight rat snakes and three Indian star tortoises were among the reptiles that were shifted. One Rhesus macaque and three Palm civets were also shifted from the zoo, which is spread across 4.5 acres.
According to the zoo authority, 22 black kites and 88 night herons, 30 Bonnet macaques, 11 Indian pythons, 26 spotted deer, 25 Sambar deer and 10 spectacled cobras that are remaining in the facility will be released in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR). The 23 Mugger crocodiles will be shifted to Amirthi zoo (2), Moyar river (2), Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (10) and STR (9).
S. Saravanan, veterinary officer-cum-director of the zoo, said trucks carrying the birds and reptiles left for their destinations by Friday evening.
K. Sridhar, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon of Arignar Anna Zoological Park, was present as the zoo staff captured and shifted the birds and reptiles to specially designed cages. Dr. Sridhar said that the trucks would be halted every three hours during the transit to reduce stress to the birds and reptiles.
The zoo staff, 13 of them, were emotional as the birds and reptiles they had been taking care of were being shifted. “It is hard to realise that they are being shifted,” said S. Nagarathinam who has been working in the facility for three decades.
According to the staff, the Sarus crane that was shifted on Friday was around 30 years old. Its pair died a few years ago. The zoo, in its early years housed a variety of animals, including lion, tiger, hyena, camel and sloth bear.
As per the plan, all the animals, birds and reptiles that are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act would be shifted from the zoo, which the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation is planning to convert into a park of exotic birds.
