Saturday, May 24, 2014

Another Asiatic lion pair shifted to Safari

22-05-2014
Another Asiatic lion pair shifted to Safari
The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Another-Asiatic-lion-pair-shifted-to-Safari/articleshow/35468561.cms

The pair of Asiatic lions housed in Kanpur Zoo will soon be shifted to the breeding centre of Lion Safari in Etawah.

Earlier, a pair of Asiatic lions was shifted to Lion Safari in Etawah from the Lucknow Zoo in April. Prior to that, eight lions (four males, four females) were brought from Gujarat's Junagadh and Hyderabad zoos under animal exchange programme.

A wildlife official said on Tuesday that senior authorities had recently called Kanpur Zoo and Lion Safari officials to the state capital to discuss the further course of strategy of shifting another pair of Asiatic lions to Etawah.

Wildlife warden Gurmeet Singh said, "We are planning to bring in another pair of Asiatic lions to Lion Safari. We will transport these animals by road. The pair will be housed separately like the earlier pair of Manan and Kumari at the breeding centre so that it could adjust in the new environment. Manan and Kumari, arriving in April, are behaving normally. Both are being fed nearly 15-20 kg of meat daily, besides we give them plenty of water. The two are kept in separate enclosures at the breeding centre."

In addition, the Lion Safari is also planning to bring in more wild animals, for which authorities had planned of shifting of few elephants, leopards, wolves and ostriches, after being approved by the Central Zoo Authority.

"Sitting in a vehicle, one will soon be able to share space with Asiatic lions, elephants, leopards, wolves and ostriches roaming in the safari. Also separate enclosure would be constructed for monkeys at the safari. At present, the Fisher Forest area, where Lion safari is coming up, has wild animals like antelopes (neelgai), sambhar deer, jackal and peacocks," added an official. The safari will give nature lovers in Etawah, Mainpuri, Auraiya, Agra, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur and surrounding areas a chance to see animals in the wild.

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