The ‘Tsunami’
Hey peeps! My name is Tsunami Basant and am a male giraffe. My name might make you think I have a nasty temper, but let me tell you I am your quintessential tall, handsome and well-behaved giraffe. They named me so because I was born on Basant Panchami after the tsunami episode in 2004. That makes me 14 years old now, and I believe I have seen a bit of life too. I came here from New Delhi in 2009 when I was just four years old.
Growing up was pretty hard as I was the only giraffe here and often felt lonely. They have been looking for a mate for me, but no luck yet. But guess what? Two young giraffes (Sunny and Bubli) were brought to our zoo from Kolkata today! I am so excited that I keep bumping my head on the branches of the trees. I am of course going to show them around and be BFFs. May be they will teach me some Bengali?
Wise Rani
Let me tell you kid, I come from another era. I was born long before this country became independent and I lived with one of the prosperous families in the world - the Nizams! Those were the days, sigh! I celebrated my 80th birthday last year, but am sharp as a tack! (I have an elephant’s memory). I was gifted to the zoo when it was made open to the public in 1963.
I was only 25 then. How time flies! I became quite the Internet sensation last year when a picture of me cutting my birthday cake went viral. The ragi cake was yum! I love to eat rice, sugarcane and coconuts too. I live with my friends - Asha, Jamuna, Sita and Vijay. Vijay is the youngest among us (30 years) and we spoil him silly.
Celebrity Suzy
People say I am the star of the zoo, and well, I am! If you want to see the most classy animal in the zoo, ask for me. I am Suzy the chimpanzee. Now, I have heard many saying that I might be a bit spoilt, thanks to my previous owner Subrata Roy of the Sahara Group who gifted me to the zoo in 2011, but a girl gotta take care of herself.
I brush my teeth with toothpaste every day, take baths with soap and drink water only from a bottle. I also need two blankets in winter - one to sleep on and another to cover myself. I also eat a lot of fruits like mango, pineapple, muskmelon, sapota and guava. I love drinking coffee too! I am 35 now, but don’t look a day over 25. You should try the fruit diet too.
Young and playful
I am Ramu the rhino and am only three years old. I was born here and you can say am a pakka Hyderabadi. I like to eat hay, potatoes, cabbages, sugarcanes and bananas. But my most favourite part of the day is to play with my parents and brother. Sometimes, our caretakers will stand and watch me play, and I like to show myself off too! My father’s name is Suraj (12 years old) and mother’s name is Saraswathi (9 years old). My brother, Vijay, is six years old.
Sweet nothings
My name is Gajini and am a six year old hippopotamus. I was born in Chhattisgarh, but I have to admit that I have developed a soft spot for your Jonna rotte, especially if it has jaggery in it. I have a sweet tooth and the rotis are my favourite. I was brought from Kanan Pendari Zoological Garden in Bilaspur in 2016. When I am not splashing around in the mud, I like to hang out with Parvathi, an older hippo who is pretty cool.
Royal by birth
I am Khavi, the Royal Bengal white tiger and I was adopted recently by a school. Nopes, I am not going to stay with them in the school, but they are going to take care of my needs in the zoo for a year. Since I am the youngest (I am going to turn three next month!) in our family of 11 white tigers, you can say I am pampered. Since it’s already so hot, me and my sister Nagamani like to swim around and laze under the water sprinklers.
kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com @KakoliMukherje2