Bhubaneswar: The Nandankanan Zoological Park has added a major attraction to its collection with the arrival of 58 exotic animals belonging to 14 different species.
The animals, donated by the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust, Gujarat, were received at the zoo on Friday. The new collection includes a diverse range of mammals and birds from different geographical regions across the world.
According to zoo authorities, the animals received include four zebras, four kangaroos, six Bennett’s wallabies, four ring-tailed lemurs, four tufted capuchins, four scarlet macaws, four blue-and-gold macaws and four green-winged macaws. In addition, the zoo has also received four sulphur-crested cockatoos, four crowned cranes, four scarlet ibises, six meerkats, two cassowaries and four blue wildebeests.
With the addition of 10 new species, the total number of species housed at Nandankanan has now gone up to 188.
At present, all the newly arrived animals have been kept under quarantine as per protocol. They will be monitored under the zoo’s established veterinary care and animal management systems before being put on display for visitors.
Zoo officials said the new arrivals are expected to significantly strengthen Nandankanan’s species-diversity profile and give a major boost to its conservation and education initiatives.
