Christmas gift from the Netherlands: Darjeeling Zoo receives 2 Red Pandas
Darjeeling: There is reason to cheer for the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (Pnhzp) popular as the Darjeeling Zoo.
The zoo has received a Christmas gift – two red pandas arrived from the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, on Wednesday evening.
The Pnzp also released the two white tigers in the display area for the visitors on the day of Christmas.
“Bishal and Koshi, two male red pandas, both aged two and a half years from the Rotterdam Zoo arrived at Kolkata by flight via Doha at around 1 am on December 25. The red panda duo started their journey from Rotterdam Zoo on December 24. On arrival at Kolkata, the pandas were handed over to a team from Darjeeling Zoo, including animal keepers and veterinary doctors. From Kolkata, the team and the red pandas proceeded to Darjeeling by road. They are in good health and spirit. The pandas will be kept in quarantine for a month,” stated Basavaraj Holeyachi, director, Pnhzp.
“We express our gratitude to Rotterdam Zoo and Global Species Management Plan for Red Panda for providing the two animals thereby contributing to the Pnhzp’s red panda conservation breeding programme” added Holeyachi.
The red pandas have been brought to Darjeeling Zoo inorder to introduce fresh bloodlines for the conservation breeding programme. The Pnhzp is the coordinating zoo for the Red Panda breeding programme (Project Red Panda) in India. Under this programme, red pandas are bred in captivity at high-altitude zoos including Pnhzp, Gangtok Zoo in Sikkim and Itanagar Zoo.
The first Red Pandas for this programme had been brought in from various European Zoos like Rotterdam, Madrid and Clone Zoo in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first breeding success under the Project Red Panda came in 1994. At present the Pnhzp has 21 red pandas, including the two that arrived from Rotterdam. Out of the 21, there are 7 male, 21 females and 2 unsexed cubs.
Akash the 4-year-old White tiger and Nagmani- the 7-year-old female that had arrived by special at the Pnhzp from Hyderabad on november 29 evening were introduced in the display area on Wednesday, drawing large crowds.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda released 10 pairs of Red Jungle Fowl in the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on December 24. The fowls were bred at the Downhill Conservation Breeding Centre in Kurseong under the Pnhzp. Earlier this month 10 Himalayan Gorals were released at the Singalila National Park.
“The zoo-bred red fowls and Gorals were released in order to augment their population in the wild,” remarked the Forest minister.
Founded in 1958, the Pnhzp was adjudged the best zoo in the country across all categories in September 2022.
The Pnhzp is successfully engaged in the conservation breeding of 10 endangered species including Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan Wolf, Salamander, Monal, Blood Pheasants, Satire Tragopan and Grey Peacock Pheasant.
