The great zoo swap: gaurs out, rhinos in - The Hindu

Visitors to Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, may get to see a pair of greater one-horned rhinoceroses within the next couple of months. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday requested her counterpart in Assam to send the one-horned rhinos in exchange for a pair of Indian gaurs. In a letter to Tarun Gogoi, the chief minister of Assam, she said: "We have a sufficient number of Indian gaurs, which we can give in exchange to the government of Assam. The Indian gaur is one of our flagship species." Ms. Jayalalithaa, who is also the chairperson of the Zoo Authority of Tamil Nadu, said the zoo at Vandalur was the largest in the country, and one of the largest in South-east Asia. Annually, two million people flocked to the facility, which had been categorised as a 'Large Zoo' based on species diversity, number of endangered species and area. The zoo was known for following modern captive animal management principles in its day-to-day administration, she said. The zoo at present has 1,400 individual animals belonging to 143 species. A greater one-horned rhino was in the zoo from 1985 to 1989, when it died. Ever since, there has not been a single representative of this magnificent species in the Vandalur zoo, she said. Considering the number of visitors to the zoo and the popularity of the animal, it would be fitting if the zoo could once again house these animals, she added. Wildlife officials said that they have already kept a 1,500 sqft.-enclosure ready for the new arrivals from Assam. A senior official of the wildlife department said the pygmy hippopotamus that is currently housed in the enclosure will be shifted. A couple of animal keepers will be sent to Guwahati where they will be trained in handling these giants. Officials also plan to bring a couple of zoo keepers from Assam to Vandalur zoo. They will be requested to stay in the city till the animals get acclimatised to the new environment. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFVOnAmLsJPRJvvD-6L_IKSjEXkXg&url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/the-great-zoo-swap-gaurs-out-rhinos-in/article4831143.ece

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