Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (SS)

Mangaluru, May 5: Pilikula Biological Park, also known as Dr Shivarama Karanth Nisargadhama has got a female white tiger 'Kaveri' and a female Ostrich from Arignar Anna Zoo in Chennai under the animal exchange programme.

'Kaveri' will be an added attraction to the biological park here as it is the first white tigress to come to Pilikula. The tigress and the Ostrich have been subjected to one week of quarantine for the animals to get acclimatised to the climatic conditions of the region. The animals will be available for public viewing after the quarantine period, zoo director Jayaprakash Bhandary says.

The Pilikula Zoo has in turn offered a male Bengal tiger 'Sanjay', four dholes and some snake species to the Chennai zoo, Bhandary said.

At present, Pilikula zoo has 11 Bengal Tigers out of which 7 of them are males and two male Ostriches. The zoo also has over 1200 animals of 120 species of mammals, reptiles and birds of Western Ghats spread over a sprawling 150 acres of land. The zoo has been recognised as a major zoo by the Central Zoo Authority.

According to Bhandary, the zoo has 10 surplus mammals and three reptiles to offer to other zoos under the exchange programme. He said efforts are on to bring Asiatic Lion, Indian Wolf, White Buck, Sloth Bear, Hog Deer, Nilgai and varieties of rare birds from Rajkot (Gujarat), Gorewada (Maharashtra) and Nandankanan zoo (Odisha).