Delhi zoo has welcomed a female four-horned antelope and a pair of jungle cats from Kanan Pendari zoo in Bilaspur offering them all the creature comforts. “We recently welcomed a female four-horned antelope and a male-female pair of jungle cats. A male and two female white bucks,
along with a male-female pair of Changthangi or Pashmina goat (ladakhi goat) were given to the Kanan Pendari zoo in Bilaspur,” said Delhi zoo curator Riyaz Khan. The transfer of the animals is part of an exchange programme Delhi zoo undertakes with other zoological parks in the country as per the directions of the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA).
“The animals are transferred after the number of a particular species rises as a result of good breeding. The exchange can take place twice a year or once in two-three years, depending on their numbers,” said Dr Panneerselvam, veterinary officer at Delhi zoo. The zoo, built on 176 acres of land, comprises a sprawling green island and a motley collection of animals and birds, all in the middle of a burgeoning urbane Delhi. It is home to about 1,350 animals, representing almost 130 species of animals and birds from around the world.