Hyderabad zoo set to unveil zebras after 37 years, plans breeding programme

The Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad will unveil zebras for the first time in 37 years during Zoo Day on October 6. The zoo plans a breeding programme and will soon add wallabies, mandrills, and Hoolock gibbons to its collection

Hyderabad: The Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) is set to unveil its newest collection, zebras, during its annual Zoo Day celebrations on October 6. The zoo is also chalking out plans to launch a new breeding programme aimed at conserving these exotic species.

Three zebras – two male and one female – have recently arrived at the NZP from Radha Krishna Trust, a wing of Vantara by Reliance Foundation in Gujarat. The zoo got these animals by exchanging its mouse deer collection. At present, these exotic animals are under mandatory quarantine in the specialised enclosure.

“It is a dream come true for the zoo here as zebras returned after 37 years. The animals will be displayed for visitors on Zoo Day, October 6. We have got really good breedable animals. So we are also aiming to initiate a breeding programme to support the conservation of the species and boost its population,” NZP Curator J Vasantha told ‘Telangana Today’.

In addition, the zoo will shortly add a pair of Wallabies –kangaroo-like animals that stand around three feet tall, compared to kangaroos that can reach heights up to eight feet. According to a senior official, talks were on with a couple of zoos in the country to acquire these animals.

The zoo will also shortly add Mandrills and Hoolock Gibbons as part of the animal exchange programme. While Mandrills, primates, will be received from the Tata Zoological Park, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, Hoolock Gibbons, India’s only ape species, will also soon arrive from Nagaland Zoo Park.