BHUBANESWAR: After translocation of Cheetahs to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) has revived its plans to bring a pair of the world’s fastest mammal along with five white lions from abroad. NZP officials said an MoU may be signed with the Dubai Safari Park in UAE to bring the exotic animals to the zoo under animal exchange programme. The zoo plans to bring a male and female cheetah in exchange for 5 Manipur brow-antlered deer, 2 male and 3 female.
The zoo is also planning to bring five African white lions, two male and three female, by exchanging five blackbucks, two male and three female, with Dubai. Besides, two chimpanzees may be brought in exchange of two hippopotamuses and six ring-tailed lemurs in exchange of four hog deer.
The exchange programme of Nandankanan also includes swapping of two gaur, three red jungle fowl, six gharial, two lady amherst’s pheasant, two jandaya conure and two sun conure with three red-necked wallaby, eight Himadryas baboon, seven African grey parrot and five blue and gold macaw.
“We are working on the cost and consignment modalities for signing of the MoU. Once it is finalised, the proposal will be placed before the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for approval and steps will be taken for agreement and the exchange programme,” said a senior official from the zoo. The cost and consignment modalities are expected to be finalised by the end of this month.
This will be the second attempt of the zoo to bring Cheetah to NZP as the previous plan to bring it to the zoo in 2019-20 had failed. Though the zoo had received a nod from the State government to bring a pair of African Cheetahs, wallabies and five zebras from abroad, it failed to obtain approval from the CZA and Director General of Foreign Trade for the same.