The two hyena cubs jumped with excitement when they heard footsteps approaching the fence at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park hospital. Curious eyes met a familiar face as Dr. Ch Purushotham, the zoo’s veterinarian, came on the morning round to check on them along with the caretaker who brought the first morning meal for the cubs.
All six months, striped hyena cubs are always curious, fidgety and hungry when they transition from the initial stages of dependence to a more independent and exploratory phase of life. The veterinary hospital and zoo rescue shelter have been his home for the past five months. Here, half a dozen hospital staff meet their demands while growing and developing in a pleasant environment.
“The cubs were brought to the hospital when they were one month old. We saw a puncture wound on the neck, which usually happens when the mother keeps moving the cubs from one place to another due to stress. At first, the cubs were on a liquid diet and little solid is introduced. Soon, we will release them on the fence,” said Dr Purushotham. The cubs are a testimony to the successful captive breeding at the 47-year-old Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Visakhapatnam.
A six-month-old hyena cub was rescued at a zoo hospital in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: KR Deepak
The striped hyena, one of three hyena species in the world, is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the global population continues to be affected by habitat loss, human-animal conflict, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade.
Zoos not only help preserve this species but also change public perception through education and awareness programs.
While the zoo in the past faced some challenges with the captive breeding of striped hyenas after one of the female hyenas Swathi showed stress to her mother, forcing her to kill her cubs, in the last seven years IGZP has been incredibly successful after establishing a hand care protocol. from hyena cubs. “This is the fourth example of hyena cubs being successfully rescued before being released back into the enclosure. We now have a very good striped hyena population with a total of nine adults and sub-adults,” said zoo curator Nandani Salaria, who is leading the conservation breeding project. .
Asiatic wild dog
Conservation hyena breeding is one of IGZP’s success stories. This zoo is also recognized by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for the conservation of Asian wild dog breeding or dhole. This means that it is the only zoo in India responsible for establishing a conservation breeding center (CBC) for this species. Dholes listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered to be at high risk of extinction.
“As part of the conservation breeding project, we have received a sanction of ₹67 lakh from the CZA to construct a non-display fence. The design was approved in March this year. This is the first part of the conservation project where the founder population will be established. For this, the fence will be specially made to mimic the features of the natural environment,” said Nandani.
The Visakhapatnam zoo has seen a series of successful breeding of wild dogs since 2014. The population has witnessed a huge increase from just two to 49, the highest number of wild dogs in captivity in the country, according to current records.
Currently, more than 25 of these are kept in a non-display enclosure. “The idea is to limit human intervention with these animals as much as possible; and finally, where there is a population depleting from dholes in the wild, we can reintroduce the species,” says Nandani.
The success story of wild dog conservation breeding has given rise to IGZP’s animal exchange program with other zoos in India. Many new species were added in the past in exchange for wild dogs.
The second part of the project is the reintroduction of the species in the wild. Field research will be conducted to identify needs when the founding population is ready. “A soft release will be done where the pack will be released in an invisible cage spread over a large area. After learning about the behavior of the pack, it will be released slowly in the wild,” said curator Nandani, who has closely monitored the first conservation breeding project of dogs wild Asia.
Operating in packs of five to 10 people, dholes used to spread in south and east Asia. Factors such as habitat loss, reduced prey base and disease have contributed to population decline. The global population of the Asian wild dog is estimated between 949 and 2,215 individuals, which are scattered in the local areas of India and Thailand. “Given the pressures on the lives of some animal species in the wild, conservation breeding in zoos will be a very important factor in the preservation of species in the coming decades,” added Nandani.
New features
Alexandrine parakeet is attended by zoo doctor Ch Purushottam at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: KR Deepak
In addition to hyenas and stripped wild dogs, the IGZP has seen successful breeding of conservation species such as the Indian gray wolf, ring-tailed lemur, Indian bison, blue and golden macaws, jungle cats and eclectus parrots. With new visitor facility upgrades like cafeterias, new parks and animal additions and several outreach programs, IGZP’s popularity is growing. In the last weekend of May this year, it received a record 9,851 visitors which earned a gate revenue of ₹7.7 lakh in a single day. Soon, facilities like a baby care unit, more battery-operated vehicles will be added to the zoo.
