Delhi zoo’s lone Egyptian vulture set to get a mate after 20 years

After spending more than two decades alone, Jatayu, the Delhi Zoo’s lone Egyptian vulture, may finally get a mate

After spending more than two decades alone, Jatayu, the Delhi Zoo’s lone Egyptian vulture, may finally get a mate.

(HT Archive)

The zoo is in talks with two zoological parks in other states to find a breeding partner for him, zoo director Sanjeet Kumar said.

“A proposal has been sent to the Central Zoo Authority. We cannot share which institutes we are looking at until we receive approval from the CZA. But we are looking at zoos in two other states. We are looking for mates for other species as well, as pairing animals that are currently without breeding partners is our priority,” Kumar told HT.

A second zoo official, requesting anonymity, said the decision to send the proposal now may be linked to International Vulture Awareness Day, which is observed globally on the first Saturday of September. The day falls on September 5 this year.

News agency PTI, quoting another zoo official, reported that the zoo is also looking at the Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre in Pinjore, Haryana. Officials are expected to visit the facility on September 6 to learn more about its vulture breeding and conservation programme.

The official was also quoted as saying that birds and other animals cannot simply be brought to the zoo from such facilities and are acquired through mechanisms such as animal exchange programmes or gifts.

The Pinjore centre, jointly run by the Haryana Forest Department and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), works on the conservation breeding of Gyps vultures. The centre has also undertaken programmes to release captive-bred vultures into the wild.