Zoo nod to animal swap -- Thailand to give 10 animals & a bird for a rhino

March 20, 2007

Zoo nod to animal swap- Thailand to give 10 animals & a bird for a rhino

A STAFF REPORTER

March 19: After a gap of three long years, the Central Zoo Authority

(CZA) has given its nod to the first-ever animal exchange plan of the

Assam state zoo with a foreign counterpart — the Thailand Zoological

Park Organisation.

The plan was mooted in 2004 after two officials of the state zoo

visited Dusit and Khekhow zoos in Thailand and discussed the idea of

animal exchange. The two had visited Thailand to attend a training

programme. The Thailand Zoological Park Organisation had also

presented a draft memorandum to the officials.

" The CZA has given the green signal after examining the proposal from

both sides, " said its member secretary B.R. Sharma, who was in the

city to attend a two-day meeting on initiating conservation breeding

in endemic endangered species in the region.

The meeting ended yesterday.

He said many issues had to be considered before giving the clearance

to an animal exchange plan, especially when it is with a foreign zoo,

and hence the process took so much time.

Under the animal exchange plan, the state zoo will hand over a male

rhino and receive two clouded leopards, five orang-utans, one

stump-tailed macaque and three binturongs.

The only hitch was over giving away a rhino, since it is the state

animal, but the zoo finally agreed to do so after considering all

related issues, said an official of the zoo.

At the meeting, the CZA also gave the state zoo the responsibility to

initiate conservation breeding of golden langur, serow and sun bear.

Officials from the various zoos across the region were present at the

meeting, which discussed various issues related to conservation

breeding. They also suggested tips to improve the state zoo.

Since the state zoo does not have a sun bear, the Central Zoo

Authority has agreed to help it procure one from another zoo.

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