A wild affair: Rajiv Gandhi zoo in Pune to house new exotic species

The zoo authorities claim that the zoo is the only one in the state to house the giant squirrel

Pune Updated: Mar 02, 2019 16:52 IST

HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times, Pune

A file picture of the giant Indian squirrel. The giant squirrel is among the exotic animals coming on display at the Katraj zoo.(HT PHOTO)
Rajiv Gandhi zoological park’s newest entrants are five new animal species. Of the five, the main attraction will be a giant squirrel. The zoo authorities claim that the Katraj zoo is the only one in the state to house this giant squirrel.

Giving details about the new developments, Rajkumar Jadhav, director Rajiv Gandhi zoological park said, “We are adding five new species to our zoo namely rusty spotted cat, leopard cat, jungle cat, Asiatic lion and giant squirrels. We have been successful in breeding giant squirrels. Earlier we had three giant squirrels, two of which successfully bread two babies who are now open for public viewing. Ours is the only zoo in the state to have these giant squirrels. In order to house these five species, five new enclosures will be constructed in a 3,500 square metre space within the zoo premises.”
Talking about the new enclosures Jadhav said, “The new enclosures will be built in a way, so that the public can easily view the animals. In the past we did receive complaints form our visitors about not being able to see the animals in the zoo due to large enclosures, keeping that in mind we will occupy the space accordingly for the new species.”

Non-native animals get a home
Rajkumar Jadhav, director Rajiv Gandhi zoological park also said that, a proposal has been sent to the central zoo authority to let the Katraj zoo house exotic animals. He said, “We want 10 per cent of the animals in the zoo to be exotic. This will help us to be a major attraction in the city. We plan to have giraffes, zebras and anacondas.”
Jadhav further added, “We will also construct a new enclosure for reptiles, the work of all the enclosures will be completed in December.”
First Published: Mar 02, 2019 16:51 IST
https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/a-wild-affair-rajiv-gandhi-zoo-in-pune-to-house-new-exotic-species/story-T4Q9OY24KwBe2D8tjRzS7M.html