NEW DELHI: Under an animal exchange scheme aimed to promote breeding, Delhi’s National Zoological Park is set to receive a tiger from Patna Zoo and in return will send a white tigress along with Sangai deer, painted storks, white pelicans, and black bucks.
According to Delhi zoo director Sanjeet Kumar, the exchange has been designed to address both breeding requirements and the need to diversify species within the zoo. He further said the zoo will be receiving four gharials, four grey wolves – two males and two females – and two barn owls from the Patna zoo in March.
While explaining the rationale behind the exchange, Kumar said the zoo currently has only one female wolf, which limits the scope for a sustainable breeding programme. “The main objective of this exchange is to develop a healthy breeding environment and also to add more species to our collection,” he added.
He said that if animals are not periodically moved between zoos and allowed to breed with unrelated partners, it can lead to inbreeding over time. The official also said that Delhi Zoo currently has 13 tigers and cubs. Among these, seven are Royal Bengal tigers and six are white tigers.