Visitors to the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) near Bengaluru will soon get to see the tallest land animal — giraffe.
For, Mysuru zoo will be sparing a young female giraffe to BBP, one of the major tourist attractions in the capital. The animal will be transported by road in a specially-designed container that will be mounted on a long-chassis truck.
BBP will become the second zoo in the State after Mysuru zoo to house a giraffe.
With three male and five female giraffes, the Mysuru zoo is the foremost zoos housing the species native to Africa, and holds the distinction of sparing giraffes to many Indian zoos under animal exchange programmes.
The process of conditioning the giraffe for the journey has begun and the animal will be familiarised to the special enclosure kept on the low lying truck.
Moreover, it’s not an easy task to transport an animal like giraffe that stands at a height of 14 ft to 20 ft. The overhead electricity cables need to be taken care and monitored carefully during transit. The Mysuru zoo staff have the experience of transporting giraffes by road in the past.
Zoo Executive Director C. Ravishankar confirmed to The Hindu that the zoo was indeed gifting a giraffe to BBP as a “special” case and the animal is expected to be transported shortly once it gets familiarised to the container.
“Among Mary and Bubbly, two young females, one will be spared to BBP and a final call on this will be taken in a few days,” he said, adding that both animals are aged between three and four and belong to F2 generation.
Mr. Ravishankar said the proposal to gift a giraffe from Mysuru zoo to BBP was pending since many years.
Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) member secretary and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B.P. Ravi, who earlier headed the Mysuru zoo, was the one who approved this gift to BBP.
As of now, Mysuru zoo has three male giraffes, including 23-year-old Krishnaraja, which is the oldest one in the zoo.
Mr. Ravishankar said two female giraffes — Kushi and Lakshmi — are pregnant and are expected to deliver in a few days.