Saturday, August 31, 2019

Lions from Gujarat are new attractions at Ranchi zoo

One of the Asiatic lions at the zoo
RANCHI: The Bhagawan Birsa Biological Park, the only state-run zoo in Jharkhand, on Thursday got its first pair of Asiatic lions from the Gir National Park in Gujarat. A team of four zoo officials, led by its veterinarian Ajay Kumar, ushered in the new pair into the 120-acre facility.
The lions, a 10-year-old male and a four-year-old female, are healthy but a little exhausted from the 2,500-km road journey, which took four days to complete, the authorities said.
“The animals have been put in quarantine for 28 days. They will be monitored and eventually allowed to acclimatise in the new environment. Doctors and experts will also monitor their health and prepare a new diet. They will be open to visitors by mid-September,” said P K Verma, principal chief conservator of forests-wildlife in Jharkhand.
With the arrival of the two Asiatic lions, the population of lions in the zoo rose to five. In 2014, the zoo authorities made attempts to acquire Asiatic lions as it did not have pure-bred lions of this species. The three lions — 10-year-old Shashank, nine-year-old Priyanka and three-year-old Nandini — are of Afro-Asiatic origin. At present, there are seven tigers and eight leopards, including a black panther, in the zoo. However, the big cats form the mainstay of the zoo's attraction.
A senior official at the zoo said it was hard to determine the exact age of the lions because they were born in the wild. “Two years ago, they were captured and kept in a zoo in Sakkarbagh in Junagarh for breeding. But the duo have never been presented before visitors. So they are quite aggressive at this point,” the official added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/jharkhand-5-killed-in-head-on-collision-between-2-bikes/articleshow/70699588.cms

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