Delhi zoo to get smooth-coated otters after two decades, more exchanges planned

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Smooth-coated otters will return to the Delhi zoo after a two-decade gap as part of an exchange programme with the Surat zoo.

The zoo had last housed the animal in 2004.

Officials said on Sunday the otters are expected to arrive by the end of this month.

Along with the otters, the Delhi zoo (officially called the National Zoological Park) will also receive 10 star tortoises from the Surat zoo. In exchange, it will send five sangai deer, two blue-and-yellow macaws, and four green-cheeked conures.

Delhi zoo director Sanjeet Kumar said another exchange programme with the Lucknow zoo has been finalised, under which Delhi will receive swamp deer in return for chinkara.

"A team of officials, including a keeper, is travelling to the Surat zoo on Monday to assess the otters and gain insights into their housing and maintenance. The exchange is expected to be completed in the last week of March. Necessary preparations are underway at both the zoos," Kumar said.

This addition will bring the total species count at Delhi zoo to 96. "We have housed smooth-coated otters in the past, but the last one died in 2004, and we haven't had the species since then," Kumar added.

The Delhi Zoo has recently witnessed multiple animal deaths, prompting efforts to introduce new species, including leopards, lions, and a Himalayan black bear.

"The lions are likely to be brought from the Indore Zoo, with discussions expected to conclude next week. Talks for a Himalayan black bear from the Jammu Zoo are also in the final stages. Even before the recent death of a leopard, we were already in discussions to bring more leopards, as two of our current ones are fairly old. Talks are ongoing with two zoos in the country," Kumar said.

The zoo's last casualty was a 15-year-old female leopard, Babli, who died on February 26 due to age-related complications. The zoo now has two male and one female leopards left.

Her death followed two other fatalities in February: a 22-year-old jaguar and a 15-year-old nilgai, both of whom were under prolonged treatment for age-related ailments.

Earlier, on January 25, a female sangai deer died after a fight with a male sangai deer, while another nilgai sustained injuries in a similar incident.

Additionally, on January 2, a one-horned rhinoceros named Dharmendra, brought from the Assam zoo as part of an exchange programme, died under mysterious circumstances. In December last year, a nine-month-old white tiger cub succumbed to "traumatic shock and acute pneumonia," according to zoo officials.

Established in November 1959, the Delhi zoo currently houses 95 species of animals and birds and serves as a model zoo for the country. PTI NSM TIR SZM SZM