Sambalpur: Eight Kuji Harina (hog deer) have arrived in Sambalpur zoo here from Nandankanan Zoological Park in Odisha capital as part of an ongoing animal exchange programme.
In return, Nandankanan will be get 5 sambar deer (2 male & 3 female ) from the zoo.
According to Hirakud Wildlife Division authorities, the 3 male and as many female hog deer will be kept in quarantine for a month before being put up for display for the visitors.
Hog deer are mostly found in Southeast Asia, US and Australia. In India, they are mostly seen in North India. The deer gets its name from the way it runs through the forests with its head hung low so that it can duck under obstacles instead of leaping over them like other deer. The colour of its skin changes with season. The males have distinct antlers and their call can be heard during dawn and dusk as a long whistle. It’s lifespan is about 20 years.
It is a Schedule -3 animal in Wildlife Protection Act 1972/ Endangered category.
The authorities further said that 8 blackbucks, which were brought from Nandankanan about two months back, are in good health. The zoo currently has 18 varieties of animals, including leopard, bear, sambar, chousingha, deer, python, peacocks and other colourful birds.
A nocturnal house, an orchidarium and a rose garden were the other new additions to the zoo in 2023-24.
According to new master plan of the zoo, another new 30 varieties of animals, including tiger, nilgai, bison, wolf and wild dogs, will be introduced in the coming years.
