Guwahati: Assam Environment and Forest Chandra Mohan Patowary on Monday formally released a giraffe and two zebras at Assam State Zoo & Botanical Garden in Guwahati.
The female giraffe aged five years has been brought from the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park in Bihar’s Patna, and it will be in addition to the male giraffe in the zoo.
The two zebras, one male and one female, have been brought from Mysore, Karnataka and they are one and three years old respectively.
“It is a special occasion and we are glad to inform you that a pair of zebras have come to the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden after almost 30 years and we hope that the zoo authorities would be able to take good care of the animals and increase their population. We have named them Joy and Joya,” Forest Minister Patowary told reporters.
Similarly, the Minister said that the recently brought female giraffe would be good company to the lone male giraffe in the zoo and expressed optimism that the giraffe population would also grow in the zoo. The pair of giraffes have been named Bijay and Bijaya.
Minister Patowary also informed that a lot of steps have been taken to develop the infrastructure of the zoo and DPR is being prepared for reconstruction of the facility.
He said that the tourist footfall has also been increasing in recent years and steps are being taken for the development of the amenities for visitors to the zoo apart from improving facilities for the animals.
PCCF & HoFF M.K. Yadav, DFO Assam State Zoo & Botanical Garden Ashwini Kumar and other officials were present on the occasion.