Hyderabad zoo elephants enjoy 5-km walk on World Elephant Day

Four Asian elephants at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park were taken out for a 5-km walk as part of World Elephant Day celebrations, delighting visitors with a rare close-up view. The animals were also treated to specially prepared jumbo cakes.

Hyderabad: Vanaja, Asha, Sita and Vijay had a different day at the Nehru Zoological Park on the occasion of World Elephant Day on Wednesday.

The four Asian elephants were taken out of their enclosure for a nearly 5-km walk in the zoo premise. As they walked, the jumbos stopped to feed on tree branches they liked. Meanwhile, visitors got a rare opportunity to watch elephants from close quarters.

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Another special attraction of the celebrations was the jumbo cakes. Each of the elephants was treated to a 5-kg cake made with banana, apples, pineapples, oranges, water melon, sugarcane, coconuts, cucumbers, carrots, cooked rice etc. The cakes were made by in-house animal keepers, feed store and zoo kitchen staff. Animal keepers and zoo educational officers briefed the visitors about the facts and importance of elephants in the ecosystem.

Muralidhar, Deputy Curator, Nehru Zoological Park, said the zoo is proud to celebrate the World Elephant Day. Wildlife education events are conducted to encourage and spread more awareness among citizens, he added.