Now, watch mouse deer, sarus crane at Chhatbir zoo

Zirakpur, March 20

Visiting the Chhatbir zoo will be more fun now with a pair of sloth bears, two pairs of marsh crocodile and a pair each of bonnet macaque, golden jackals, chausinga, mouse deer, sarus crane, white dove, silver pheasant and grey pelicans having been received by the authorities under an exchange programme.

The new arrivals have been received from Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, and quarantined as per the standard protocol. These will be put in specially designed sections.

“Sloth bears are adaptable to different types of climatic and weather conditions. Marsh crocodile is a broad scouted crocodile, also known as mugger crocodile. It is found in freshwater habitats from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent and inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers and artificial ponds. The Chhatbir zoo already has bonnet macaque, but to prevent in-breeding and to keep the bloodline pure, one more pair has been brought here,” said Kalpana K, Field Director, Chhatbir zoo.

In exchange for the new arrivals, the authorities provided the Hyderabad zoo with two gorals, three chinkaras, one Indian fox, four golden pheasants, four kalij pheasant, two sarus crane, 10 painted stork, four blossom-headed parakeets and 10 knob-billed ducks.

Today, the zoo celebrated World Sparrow Day in collaboration with Madhuban Vatika School, Nurpur Bedi. A special online awareness campaign was organised to sensitise students to the conservation of sparrows, particularly house sparrows.

Harpal Singh, Range Officer-cum-Zoo Education Officer, interacted with 300-odd students online and explained that diminutive house sparrow (passer domesticus) was perhaps one of the earliest birds they could remember from their childhood. The association between humans and house sparrows dates back to several centuries and no other bird has been associated with humans on a daily basis like it. It is a bird that evokes fond memories and has thus found mention in folklore and songs from time immemorial, he said.

The number of house sparrows is believed to be declining for various reasons, ranging from the destruction of its habitat to the lack of insects to feed the young, and even the increasing electromagnetic wave pollution.