Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

`Night homes' for pachyderms

By J.S. Ifthekhar

HYDERABAD Aug. 13. The giant inmates of the Nehru Zoological Park will soon have a home. The herd of Indian elephants, which presently live in a large grassy open enclosure, can now relax in a cosy shelter. The zoo authorities have decided to provide "night home'' for the mammoth creatures to give them protection from heat and rain.

In keeping with their sheer size, elephantine quarters are being built. The dimensions are - hold your breath - 35 feet length, 18 feet width and 25 feet height. Authorities have planned to construct eight such shelters to accommodate as many pachyderms at a cost of Rs. 20 lakhs. The Central Zoo Authority is funding the project which is expected to be ready in the next two months. Zoo parks in Tirupathi and Vizag already have similar night homes, said A.V. Joseph, Chief Conservator of Forests.

The elephant home basically consists of pillars and slab with flooring. It also has huge containers for water and food. An arch type entrance is planned to add a bit of aesthetics. The zoo park now has two male and six female elephants, including a 12 year-old-baby.

But why need animal houses?

The present elephant enclosure, it is said, is devoid of trees. Over the years all the trees here have withered and died as the elephants kept peeling off the bark.

"As a precautionary measure we have decided to build night homes. They will also facilitate inspection of the elephants by veterinary doctors'', said the zoo curator, B. Srinivas.

He said it is also proposed to renovate the panther cages which were constructed way back in 1966.

The zoo now has six panthers and four cubs. The existing cages are very small and congested and do not conform to the Central Zoo Authority standards. Therefore, it is planned to build 11 new cages at a cost of Rs. 5 lakhs.

A new moat enclosure for lion-tailed macaque is also coming up in the zoo park. Now there is one male macaque which is kept in the primate section. Efforts are on to obtain one male and two female macaques from the Trivandrum zoo. In another fortnight this enclosure will be ready.

The new administrative block of the zoo is also expected to be ready for inauguration by October, Mr. Srinivas said.

Even as the zoo park is going ahead with the expansion programme, authorities are worried about the threat posed by the drainage water from the surrounding colonies. Slush from the Mochi colony and Tadbun is seeping into the moat enclosures exposing the primates, birds and carnivores to risk. The MCH has been asked to divert the drainage water to the Bahadurpura nala.

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