The Central Zoo Authority has allowed the Odisha government to carry out the planned transfer of a cheetah, African lion and Chimpanzee from Dubai Safari Park (DSP) to Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP), Bhubaneswar.
The CZA has asked the wildlife wing of the State Forest and Environment Department to keep requisite housing facilities ready in accordance with its guideline.
According to the wildlife wing, the NZP will receive ring-tailed lemur, red-necked wallaby, Hamadryas baboon, African grey parrot and blue-and-gold macaw in addition to the cheetah, African lion and chimpanzee from DSP.
In exchange, the NZP will provide Hippopotamus, blackbuck, hog deer, gaur, red junglefowl and gharial.
“Two male chimpanzees are proposed to be acquired and eight individuals are currently housed in Nandankanan. It may be explored with DSP for transfer of male-female pair instead of male-male pair,” the CZA asked the wildlife wing.
The CZA directed the government to quarantine and conduct health screening as per the central guideline. The acquisition, housing and breeding of colour morphs should be revisited in the context of their role in conservation and extant and national and international policies, said CZA.
Moreover, NZP was asked to follow existing protocol with regards to COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases. As per condition, the exchange of animals has to be carried out within one year.
The NXP is a premier large zoo of India with respect to daily footfalls. Last Sunday, about 40,000 visitors went around the zoo, which is built inside a forest.
The zoo is famous for its white tigers which were born to normal coloured parents in the year 1980. The NZP has successfully carried out the breeding of pangolins. Besides, it has the largest pools for housing gharials and Hippopotamus. The NZP is the only zoo having a captive fodder farm (over 33 acres) and slaughterhouse.
