The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Vandalur Zoo gets one more hippopotamus

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Vandalur Zoo gets one more hippopotamus

P. Oppili

CHENNAI: A six-year-old hippopotamus, Soundarya, acquired from the Mysore Zoo, is the latest addition to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur.

It arrived on Tuesday afternoon in a specially-designed crate. The vehicle with the animal left Mysore on Monday evening.

At present the zoo has one hippo pair, Kala (37) and Vamburi (6). Kala is one of the oldest inmates of AAZP, living there since the park was opened in 1986. Vamburi came from Basel Zoo, Switzerland, in 2002.

So far the zoo had received three hippos under animal exchange programme within the country and also abroad.

K.P.M. Perrumahl, Chief Conservator of Forests and Zoo Director, said Kala was not suitable for breeding purposes anymore, hence under an animal exchange programme, another female had been acquired from Mysore Zoo.

For a few days, the latest acquisition Soundarya would be in an enclosure close to Vamburi's enclosure.

This ensures compatibility with Vamburi and also to help the animal get acclimatised to the new environs, zoo authorities noted.

After that, the female hippo would be released into the regular exhibit area, for public view.

K. Senthil Kumar, zoo veterinarian, who brought Soundarya from Mysore, said the diet for the new hippo included hay, paddy straw, Co-1 grass, wheat bran, bread, potato, cabbage, carrot and apples.

In order to reduce the stress for Soundarya, anti-stress drugs would be mixed in the feed for her.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail