The Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) on the outskirts of the city on Saturday observed the Elephant Day as part of the Wildlife Week celebration.
The eight elephants at the zoo were given a special treatment to mark the occasion. Early morning, the zookeepers bathed the pachyderms and adorned them with specially designed appliqué apparels and the mahouts took them out on a walk on the animal park premises.
The jumbos were then offered bananas, coconuts, sugarcane and other foods, Visitors to the zoo also offered fruits to the jumbos.
“We have around 2,000 elephants in Odisha. Elephant is one the most important wildlife species. The call of the day is to protect them and protect their habitats. If they are allowed to live in peace, we live in peace,” said Principal Secretary, Forest Department Rajkumar Sharma on the occasion.
“The purpose of observing this day is to create awareness among people for conservation of elephants and their habitats,” said Nandankanan Zoological Park Director Sudarshan Panda.