Otters to return to Delhi zoo after two decades

The otters and 10 star tortoise will arrive from the Surat zoo, in exchange for five sangai deer, two blue-and-yellow macaws and four green-cheeked conure

Two smooth-coated otters, a species that was last seen in 2004 at the Delhi zoo, are among several animals that are set to arrive in Delhi in a slew of exchanges with zoological parks located across the country, officials aware of the development said.

Delhi zoo. (AFP File)

The otters and 10 star tortoise will arrive from the Surat zoo, in exchange for five sangai deer, two blue-and-yellow macaws and four green-cheeked conure. In another exchange with the Lucknow zoo, Delhi will receive swamp deer in exchange for chinkara, officials said.

“A team of officials including a keeper is travelling to Surat zoo on Monday to see the animals and get experience on otter housing and maintenance. The exchange is likely to be done in the last week of March. Necessary preparations for housing of exchanged animals are under progress at both zoos,” said SanjeetKumar, director of Delhi zoo, adding that they will receive a male and female.

“This is a new species, which will take the total species count at the zoo to 96 now. We have had it in the past, but the animal died and since 2004, we did not have this particular species,” Kumar said.

The zoo has seen a spate of recent animal deaths, with zoo authorities stating they are looking to bring in more species, including leopards, lions and a Himalayan black bear.

“The lions are likely to be brought from Indore Zoo. Talks are ongoing and should be finalised by the next week. The Himalayan black bear is likely to arrive from Jammu zoo and talks are in the final stages. Prior to the recent death of a leopard, we were already looking to bring in leopards as two of our leopards were fairly old. That talk is also ongoing with two zoos in the country,” Kumar said.

Spate of deaths

A 15-year-old female leopard, Babli, was among the latest casualties at the Delhi zoo, with the animal dying on February 26 due to old age. The zoo now has two male leopards and a female leopard left.

Also in February, a 22-year-old jaguar and a 15-year-old nilgai died, on February 19 and 13, respectively.

On January 25, a female sangai deer died after a fight with a male counterpart. The same month, a nilgai also sustained injuries after a fight. On January 2, a one-horned rhinoceros, Dharmendra, died in mysterious circumstances, officials had said, adding that the rhinoceros was brought from the Assam zoo as part of an animal exchange programme.

On December 28, 2024, a nine-month-old white tiger cub succumbed to traumatic shock and acute pneumonia, zoo officials said.