GUWAHATI: The first giraffe born in Assam has finally got a name. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma christened the calf as “Parijat”. It was born at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, widely known as Guwahati Zoo, mid-November.
The calf is the offspring of Vijay and Vijaya. Vijay was brought from Mysore in 2019 and Vijaya from Patna in 2022 under an animal exchange programme. Earlier, Sarma had reached out to people through X, formerly Twitter, urging them to suggest a name for the calf. Social media users wasted no time. They suggested names, including “Himanta”.
Sarma, who visited the zoo on Saturday and was seen feeding milk to the giraffe calf, told journalists people suggested some 350 names. “After shortlisting some, followed by a lucky draw, we accepted the name Parijat. We thank one Piya Kalita, whom I do not know, for suggesting this name,” Sarma said.
He said the mother had rejected the calf right after birth and behaved like a stranger, prompting the forest department to immediately contact a Mumbai-based expert, Tushar Kulkarni, and take his help. The calf grew up under the care of Kulkarni and zoo staff.
“We are feeding the calf 7.5 litres of milk every day. The amount of milk will increase slowly,” the CM said. He said the zoo on Saturday released a kangaroo, a wallaby and two orangutans for public viewing. They grew up under the zoo’s care. The orangutans were rescued in southern Assam’s Barak Valley when some people were smuggling them.
“We have submitted a proposal involving Rs 350 crore to the finance department for the upgradation of the Guwahati Zoo. If we get the funds, we can make it one of the best zoos in the country,” Sarma said.
He said as more animals would be arriving, the zoo would have to build more enclosures. He said most of the existing enclosures waned out with time.
“We want to build a children’s park so kids can spend quality time in the zoo. We also want to build a veterinary hospital, animal rescue centre etc. We have a big plan. Let’s see how much we can do,” the CM said. He disclosed that the state government would soon float tenders for the construction of two open zoos – one in Dibrugarh and another in Silchar. It will take four to five years for them to come up, he added.
Mother rejected calf
The mother had rejected the calf right after birth and behaved like a stranger, prompting the forest department to immediately contact a Mumbai-based expert, Tushar Kulkarni, and take his help. The calf grew up under the care of Kulkarni and zoo staff. “We are feeding the calf 7.5 litres of milk every day. The amount of milk will increase slowly,” the CM said. He said the zoo on Saturday released a kangaroo, a wallaby and two orangutans for public viewing. The orangutans were rescued in southern Assam when some people were smuggling them