Mateless in Mumbai

He8217;s a loner. He weighs two tonnes. And in 1994, he crushed a man to death. Shiva, the 30-something rhino at the Byculla zoo, has had a lot of experiences in his life. But no mate to share them with. For the past 25 years, this male rhino has stayed celibate, and not by choice. Shiva8217;s sad fate 8212; forced celibacy in an over-crowded zoo 8212; is shared by at least 34 animals.

But there8217;s hope. Astrologers recently predicted that romance won8217;t be rare, thanks to the transit of Venus. Plus, there8217;s the proposal to set up a new zoo at Aarey Colony in Goregaon. If more animals are added on as mates, congestion can become a big problem, says PETA8217;s campaign coordinator, Dilpreet Beasley. The 400-acre plot for the new zoo will be a better choice, she says.

Until that happens, these are the animals who must continue with their single life: Three lions, four elephants, five leopards, one hobra, three monkeys in zoo hospital, one Himalayan bear, four hyenas, one rhino, one rock python, one chinkara, two tigers, one emu, one hawk, one albino crow, one rat snake, three russel vipers and one sand boa.