Ahmedabad, May 8 (IANS): Eight Asiatic lions from the Sakkarbaug (Junagadh) zoo of Gujarat will be soon transferred to a zoo in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, as part of the Animal Exchange Programme.

The Junagadh Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Dushyant Vasavada informed, "Two male and six female lions from the Gujarat zoo will be transferred to the Uttar Pradesh zoo..., and we are ready for the transfer."

It is not yet disclosed which animals are to be transferred from the Gorakhpur zoo to Gujarat under the programme.

The date and the mode of transport are yet to be decided by the zoo officials, he added.

The idea of such mutual exchange for the zoos came up at the Annual Conference of Indian Zoos held in December last year. It was organized by the Central Zoo Authority at Mysore where 25 directors of different

zoos across the country visited the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens.

Sakkarbaug zoo, also known as Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden is spread over 200 hectares of land and it opened in 1863. It is one of the oldest zoos in the country that is considered an important centre for providing Asiatic Lions to other zoos and for safaris across the state and the country.