‘Chhotu’ zebra to get mate soon

PATNA: The year-long solitude of 10-year-old ‘Chhotu’ zebra of the Patna zoo will end soon as the zoo will be getting a female zebra from the Zoological Garden, Alipore (Kolkata) under an animal exchange programme. A proposal in this regard has been sent to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The Patna zoo will get the female zebra in lieu of a white tiger, six black bucks, including three females, and two sambar (large deer), including a female.

The 10-year old zebra was born and brought up at the Patna zoo and his female imate died 12 months ago.

Patna zoo director Amit Kumar said on Thursday it was a good deal. “Our zoo needs a female zebra to complete the pair,” he said and added the exchange would take place once the proposal was approved by the CZA.

The CZA, which is the apex body for all zoos in India, has a set of guidelines which the zoos have to follow while undertaking exchange programmes.

The Patna zoo also looks forward to getting the CZA’s approval for another proposal on an exchange with the Mysore’s Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore which has agreed to give to the Patna zoo 20 black-crowned night heron in pairs, a pair each of Lady Amherst’s pheasant and yellow golden pheasant, one male gaur and a king cobra. In exchange, the Patna zoo will give it a pair each of sloth bear and silver pheasant and a female jungle cat, said Kumar.

Earlier, the CZA had given consent to the Patna zoo for animal exchange with Tamil Nadu’s Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Delhi’s National Zoological Park, Denmark’s zoo, Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park and Assam State Zoo-cum- Botanical Garden.