Shifting of animals

The zoo has shifted a pair of lions to the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam and as part of an exchange program, is looking forward to acquire some animals.

Prominent among those set to shortly join the zoo here in the city from Sepahijala Zoo are Spectacled Langur and Pig-tailed Macaque. However, the arrival of much awaited Zebra from South Africa has been delayed by certain procedural matters and could take some more time before they are brought in. The zoo has entered into a deal for a dozen Zebras and planned to house four here and send rest to the zoos at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.

According to officials, the issue has got delayed due to certain queries from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and the same were being sorted out.

Zoo officials mull friendship club

Apart from improving visitor amenities including setting up helpdesks at the Nehru Zoological Park, the authorities are planning to constitute Zoo Friends Clubs.

According to zoo officials, the proposed clubs are aimed at disseminating information on the wildlife and also help propagating the do's and don'ts for visitors at the zoo. “The idea is to be able to involve visitors, mainly the students and educate them about importance of wildlife and the present status and need to preserve the wildlife,” said the zoo assistant curator Vasanth Mohan.

These clubs will also be used to prevent visitors from either teasing animals or trying to feed them. “Some visitors have the habit of offering feed to the animals which is not a right practice since it could lead to infections and other problems,” he said.