It’s a girl for Angel at the Vandalur Zoo

This is the first time that an Indianwild ass is giving birth in its precincts.

NEW MEMBER:The calf of five-year-old Angel, an Indian wild ass, at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur.— Photo: Special Arrangement

Five-year-old Indian wild ass Angel gave birth to a female calf four years after its arrival from Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden, Junagadh, Gujarat.

“This is the first birth of an Indian wild ass at Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur,” says K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and zoo director. “The female and another male Indian wild ass were brought here under an animal exchange programme in 2012 and kept in separate enclosures. But, the enclosure was not adequate for the animals, which gained weight during the first three years. The enclosure was re-designed by zoo authorities to help the animals reduce their weight, and also led to a conducive scenario for playing and mating,” he said.

For the past three months, the female was separated from the male and it gave birth on Sunday under the supervision of zoo veterinarians.

The Indian wild ass has a life span of 25-30 years and the gestation period is is 11-12 months. According to zoo authorities, the species can be found only in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat and has been classified as protected under Schedule-I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified them as endangered animals. In Gujarat, there are 4,451 wild asses as per the 2014 census. In 2004, their number was 3,863.