VIJAYAWADA: Forest authorities have come up with a series of measures to enrich environment in zoos in order to help them beat stress and not to become susceptible to diseases across zoos located in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati following their closure from May 4 and entry of visitors barred in the entire state.
The authorities are arranging wooden balls and ladders, swings, tubes, ropes and other amusement equipment for animals to play as part of appropriate behavioural and mental activities. They maintained that enclosure enrichments will help captive animals display their natural behavioural patterns so that those housed in natural enclosures will live longer.
In Indira Gandhi Zoo Park, nearly 810 animals and birds are being housed at present and authorities have categorised animals into five categories to prepare species-specific enrichment in all enclosures. Its curator Dr Nandani Salaria said, “We are arranging species-specific enrichment in all enclosures so that animals will not feel any stress and will be free from diseases. We have seen them play with the equipment arranged in open enclosures without any adverse bearing on their psychological and mental conditions.”
In Sri Venkateswara Zoo Park, there are nearly 1,098 animals and birds and the authorities have arranged football-sized wooden balls and wooden ladders, ropes and swings so that they can play in the enriched environment. Zoo officials said that lions and tigers were enjoying the wooden balls while primates were sitting on wooden ladders and watching around.
They said that they had not noticed any mood swings among the animals in the last few days. They pointed out that the animals were habituated to live on their own as the zoo was closed for nearly eight months from May 20 to November 16 during lockdown.
Sri Venkateswara Zoo Park curator M. Hima Sailaja said, “We have not noticed any change of behaviour among animals in the absence of visitors. Moreover, we have seen lions, tigers and primates in a playful mode with wooden balls, ladders and swings at their disposal.”
