Macaws to meerkats: Vizag zoo to welcome new batch of animals

An animal exchange program has been successfully implemented between Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Visakhapatnam and Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, facilitated by the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust in Moti Khavdi, Jamnagar, Gujarat. On the evening of July 3, 2024, a variety new of animals from the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust will arrive at the Visakhapatnam zoo.

These include Green-winged macaws, Scarlet macaws, Military macaws, Medium Sulphur-crested cockatoos, Squirrel monkeys, Common marmosets, Red-necked wallabies, and Meerkats. In exchange, IGZP will send Striped hyenas, Hog deer, Painted storks, Grey Pelicans, Star tortoises, Gharials, Jungle cats, Dholes, Wolves, and Gaurs to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

This exchange introduces four new species to IGZP’s animal collection, enhancing the park’s appeal to visitors. The newly arrived animals will undergo a mandatory quarantine period as per standard protocols before being displayed in their respective enclosures.

Earlier in April, the Vizag Zoo welcomed a pair of northern giraffes and other new animals from the Zoological Garden, Alipore, Kolkata, as part of an Animal Exchange Programme. This initiative aimed to enhance animal welfare and contribute to the conservation of endangered species.

The Alipore zoo contributed two northern giraffes, four water monitor lizards, and two scarlet macaws. In return, the Visakhapatnam zoo provided them with new animals, including a female white tiger, two Indian grey wolves, five Indian wild dogs, two ring-tailed lemurs, two black swans, four hog deer, and two striped hyenas.