May 04, 2024 03:51 PM IST
Over 500 animals of 52 species live in the Sepahijala zoo, which has over 90 enclosures. It is also the 16th largest zoo in the country and the second largest in the northeast
Agartala: To provide respite from prevailing heatwave conditions, Tripura’s forest department has made arrangements for air coolers, ice cubes, fruits, and glucose water, for the animals at the Sepahijala Zoological Park.
“We have made such arrangements of keeping constant drinking water supply three times a day in the enclosures. The animals are bathed twice a day and also provided with ice cubes and air coolers. In the diet of both herbivores and omnivores, we keep fruits with high water content and glucose water”, Sepahijala Zoo Director Biswajit Das said.
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The carnivores are provided with food in the afternoon to avoid the stress caused due to the heat.
Assistant director of the Zoological Park and resident veterinary doctor, Dr Keshab Debnath, said that the omnivores are given a protein diet with low-fat content.
Over 500 animals of 52 species live in the zoo, which has over 90 enclosures. It is also the 16th largest zoo in the country and the second largest in the northeast.
These animals include the iconic Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic lion, Himalayan black bear, hippopotamus, clouded leopard, oriental pied hornbills, Himalayan Griffon vultures, Bengal vulture, pelicans, red jungle fowls, Indian flap-shelled turtles, peacock soft-shelled turtles, monitor lizard reptiles and other different species, officials said.
Faruq Miah, and hippopotamus keeper Manik Saha chop watermelons, cucumbers, etc. for the animals.
“I refill cold water in the paddocks to keep the floors cold. We change the water inside the enclosure twice a week. I also provide them ice once a day”, said Faruq Miah, an employee and tiger caretaker at the Sepahijala Zoological Park.
Serving for 14 years, hippopotamus keeper Manik Saha said, “We change water for their bath twice a week”.
Leopard and lion keepers Saidul Islam and Chan Miah said, “We bathe them twice a day due to hot weather. We provide ice and cold water thrice a day. We have also provided air coolers in a few enclosures”.
