In a significant animal exchange initiative with a zoo located outside of Maharashtra, the Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park in Gorewada received several herbivores and birds, including endangered species, from the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden in Lucknow on Monday.
As part of the exchange programme, the Gorewada Zoo received 6 hog deer, comprising 2 males, an endangered species found in Northern India and Pakistan. Additionally, the zoo acquired a pair of blue-yellow macaws, typically indigenous to South America and rare in India.
Seven Swamp deer (Barasingha), including 2 males, four painted storks, and two saras cranes also arrived at the zoo. In exchange, Gorewada Zoo sent a pair of sloth bears to Lucknow Zoo.
After sending two sloth bears, the Gorewada Zoo has four sloth bears. Along with this, the zoo has two tigers, five leopards, 50 plus herbivores including blackbuck, albino blackbuck, sambar, barking deer, nilgai, chital and Sangai deer. The existing herbivores in the zoo came from Delhi Zoo in 2021 in the first ever animal exchange programme.