Hyderabad: The Nehru Zoological Park is preparing to welcome kangaroos, wallabies, ring-tailed lemurs and cassowaries, a group of flightless birds. The Hyderabad Zoo has sent a request to Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Vantara has agreed in principle to send the animals to the city.
The zoo has already built an enclosure and a night house for its first-ever pair of kangaroos, one male and one female. A team from Vantara visited the zoo and inspected the facilities and other infrastructure. Zoo officials said, “Vantara has agreed to share its animal collection, including kangaroos, with us. Currently, they are occupied with other rescue and rehabilitation works. We will shortly welcome new inmates.”
In 2020, the zoo had planned to bring four kangaroos from Yokohama Zoological Gardens in Japan. The two zoos signed a deal, but the plan could not go ahead because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The zoo will also receive a pair of wallabies. These kangaroo-like animals stand around three feet tall, while kangaroos can reach up to eight feet. A pair of ring-tailed lemurs will join the zoo’s primate family as well. Native to Madagascar, these primates have long tails with alternating black and white rings. They often sit upright with their arms spread wide to warm their bodies in the morning.
A pair of zebras is also planned to arrive from Vantara. The zoo currently has three zebras, two males and one female, which also came from Vantara. The zoo now has 2,178 animals, including 320 reptiles, 498 mammals and eight amphibians.
The zoo administration has also arranged water sprinklers, foggers and air conditioners to protect the animals from rising daytime temperatures linked to the El Niño impact.
