The mood is upbeat at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, where officials are busy keeping a close watch on the newborns.
Adding a feather to its cap, the zoo saw the birth of two ring tailed lemurs this month. A rare occurrence, the city zoo is the first one in the country to witness the birth of these exotic creatures.
From IsraelInterestingly, six ring tailed lemurs from Israel were introduced in the zoo early this year. “It is a pleasant surprise for us. The animals have bred in a very short span of time, which shows that they have adjusted well to the surroundings,” zoo curator G. Ramalingam told The Hindu . The officials are yet to ascertain the gender of the newborns, which is being looked after by the mother. Ring tailed lemurs are present only in the two zoos of Mysore and Visakhapatnam in India. In Mysore, the lemurs haven’t bred so far. A highly active and social animal, the lemurs stay in groups, and the females of these species are more dominant.
“In fact, even if the mother is not around or is unwell, the other lemurs of the group look after the young ones due to their strong social structure,” Mr. Ramalingam said.
Ever since its arrival in the zoo, the mischievous and hyperactive lemurs have been one of the main attractions.
Other attractionsThe zoo also saw the birth of a Nilgai, two monitor lizards, and two litters of jackal this month.
As it gets ready for the busy tourist season ahead, the zoo is also gearing up to welcome two new species of lesser cats. Very soon the zoo will get a fishing cat from Sri Lanka and a leopard cat from Assam as part of the animal exchange programme. A separate enclosure is being constructed near the avian creatures section for the new arrivals.
