After Shiva, Delhi zoo opens gates for rhino from Kanpur

A nine-year-old male rhinoceros has been picked to give an impetus to the breeding programme

Shiva, who was brought from Mumbai for breeding, died of infection on his snout. (Archive)

To give a further impetus to its breeding programme, the city’s National Zoological Park is all set to receive a new male rhinoceros from Kanpur Zoo in exchange for a female rhino from the capital. The zoo’s rhinoceros breeding programme came to an halt last month after the death of its sole male rhinoceros, Shiva.

A three-member group headed by the zoo’s veterinary officer zeroed in on a nine-year-old male rhinoceros after two days of deliberations at the Kanpur zoo. “Talks to get the male rhinoceros had begun earlier this year with the Kanpur Zoo. Our priority was to get a rhinoceros that is healthy enough for the zoo’s breeding programme… Keeping in mind the animal’s health, we have selected a nine-year-old male rhinoceros,” zoo veterinary officer Dr Paneer Selvam said.

The veterinary officer said the male rhinoceros will not be exchanged immediately. “The visit was to finalise the exchange with the Kanpur Zoo. The male rhinoceros will arrive only in the second week of August,” he said.

In exchange for the male rhinoceros, Delhi zoo will be sending a 15-year-old female rhinoceros, Mageshwari, to Kanpur, the official said, adding that the male rhino will be made to breed with the eight-year-old young female rhinoceros, Anjuka.

Last month, Shiva — who was brought from Mumbai’s Byculla zoo — died of a secondary infection of organs caused by a tumour on his snout. Old age had also made Shiva incompetent to mate. Despite zoo officials trying their best, Shiva showed no interest and never approached the female rhinoceros.

Zoo officials will also be undertaking exchange programmes for other animals, the official said.

Officials also said for the first time, the zoo has successfully implemented its breeding programme on a fox and a jackal. They are also waiting for an ostrich to hatch its egg.

Kaunain Sheriff M

Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health. His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award. Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time. Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More

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