CHENNAI, Nov 10: The Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), here, familiarly known as the Vandalur Zoo, received a pair of Himalayan black bears from Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the zoo director said.
The bears arrived today by a special coach attached to the Andaman Express between Jammu Tawi and MGR Chennai Central.
In exchange, the Vandalur Zoo, which is India’s largest and oldest one, would gift a pair of Royal Bengal Tigers to Jambu Zoo. The pair of Royal Bengal Tigers would be taken in the return train on November 15.
“This is the first time Jambu Zoo is getting tigers, their animal keepers will receive hands-on training on maintenance and upkeep of tigers from the staff of the AAZP for one week,” zoo director Srinivas R Reddy said.
The AAZP, based at Vandalur in the outskirts of Chennai, has a successful captive breeding programme for wild animals and has been especially successful in breeding tigers, he said in a release here. Tigers are often exchanged for other wild animals with other Indian zoos through the animal exchange programme, he added.
In compliance with the regulations of the Central Zoo Authority of India, as per the animal exchange proposed in January 2023, a pair of Himalayan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus) was brought from the Jambu Zoo, Jammu and Kashmir to AAZP today.
The staff from the Jambu Zoo, including the Forest Range Officers and a veterinary assistant accompanied the animals’ journey from Jammu to Chennai. “Their health on arrival was checked by the veterinary assistant Surgeon at AAZP and the bears have been kept in temporary cells in isolation for quarantine,” Reddy said.
Upon completing the prescribed period, the animals would be shifted to the display area in the zoo. (PTI)
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