For the first time in decades, the Mysuru zoo will receive a new species of wildlife to mark its 125th anniversary.
The rare species is the orangutan, the great ape found in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Avilon zoo in the Philippines has agreed to give a pair of Borneo orangutans (native to the island of Borneo) — Earth, a male, and Venus, a female — to the zoo here under the international animal exchange programme.
All that remains is the consent from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for bringing the pair over, since the orangutan was not there in the collection plan of the zoo. “First, the species must be included in the zoo’s collection plan. Then the remaining formalities of exchange have to be completed. The proposal is before the CZA and its nod is awaited. It may happen soon as our idea is to mark the zoo’s momentous occasion of completing 125 years with this new species,” said zoo Executive Director Kamala K. The date to celebrate the zoo’s 125th anniversary is still to be set, though infrastructure for the event is all in place.
Ms. Kamala told The Hindu that she was not sure whether any other Indian zoo has orangutans. “If not, Mysuru zoo may become the first Indian zoo to do so. Orangutans are the most wonderful creatures and I’m sure they will draw big crowds because of their acts,” she said.
The zoo director also expressed her plans of taking up captive breeding of this endangered species. There is another species of Orangutans found in Sumatran forests but are getting the species with its habitat in Borneo forests.
Other animals
Vandalur zoo in Chennai has agreed to give a male and a female lion-tailed macaque, a highly endangered species, in exchange for other animals. Similarly, a Sri Lankan zoo has offered to share three green anacondas, and a foreign zoo has come forward to exchange a pair of white rhinos.
Many exchange proposals – domestic and international - are before the CZA. “We are only awaiting clearances from it,” she said.
