Rajkot: Pragya turned a happy mother with a brood of five pups on Tuesday. The she-wolf is part of the breeding centre at Sakkarbaug zoo. According to the authorities, a record 14 pups were born in the zoo’s conservation breeding centre last year in 2019-20 which they hope to excel by the end of March.
Sakkarbaug zoo is designated as the co-ordinating for the conservative breeding programme of grey wolf by the central zoo authority. The programme that started in 2014-15 had only two wolves then, after which six more wolves were brought from Jodhpur, Jaipur and Mysore zoo in 2015-16 under animal exchange programme.
These animals were brought in to the zoo to infuse new bloodline. Four more animals were acquired in 2019-20 and now, the current pack count is 30-strong matured wolves in the zoo.
Accordion to zoo authorities, three pups were born in 2016-17 for the first time in captivity thanks to the success of breeding efforts. Thereafter four pups in 2017-18, three in 2018-19 and a record 14 pups were born in 2019-20.
Chief conservator of forest (wildlife circle), D T Vasavda said, “The period of pups’ birth started after a successful mating season. We are expecting to see more number of births this year than last year, thanks to proper management and breeding as well as nutritional management.”
The wolves’ breeding programme is run under proper scientific management including food and health check-ups, animals’ housing and sanitation, vaccination, de-worming and medication, pairing of the breedable animals, 24x7 CCTV camera observation onset of mating, isolation of male and female after successful mating, proper care of pregnant animals among many other parameters.
Sources said that no animal has been released in the wild so far, but a decision in that regard will be taken only after proper consultation.