After hippo, baboons, giraffe to make Hampi Zoo its home soon

HOSAPETE: Four African baboons have become the newest members of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Zoological Park located in Kamalapur near Hampi. While tigers, lions, leopards, wolves and hyenas are the star attraction of this zoo, the addition of four baboons makes it an interesting place to visit.

Now, talks are underway to accommodate the tallest mammal on the earth, the giraffe. An enclosure for the animal has been readied on the zoo premises. Speaking with The New Indian Express, M N Kiran, Executive Director, Hampi Zoo said that there was a plan to bring giraffes from the Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru but they did not work out. “The state zoo authority and Hampi zoo are in talks with different biological parks in India looking for newer animals, including giraffes,” he said.

The zoo has several animals which have been rescued from the wild and from the human-wildlife conflict zones. Some of the animals under rehab have been accommodated for public view. The zoo now has two hippopotamuses that arrived from the zoo in Bengaluru. The hippopotamus couple Teju and Sitha are now an added attraction in the zoo. The total count of animals in the zoo has now reached 350.

“The number of tourists to the zoo is increasing steadily. During winter, we are expecting more footfalls at the zoo. Water sprinklers have been installed for the visitors at the zoo walkways. The construction of entrance arch, ticket counter and food counter are underway and are expected to be completed in the next few months. The parking facility is being improvised on the zoo premises,” explained an official from Hampi Zoo.