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Gujarat
zoo houses rare African Cheetah by
Uday Adhvaryu Junagarh
(Gujarat): Sakkarbaug zoo in Gujarat has become the lone address for the rare
African cheetahs in India. The rare cheetahs were brought from Singapore as per
a government programme initiated by the Central Zoo Authority of India in order
to increase the population of leopards. Recently released for public view, the
cheetahs were talk of the town. Two pairs of cheetahs - two male and two female
- were brought to Junagarh in exchange for three Asiatic lions, which were sent
to the Singapore zoo by the Gujarat Government last year. The cheetahs reached
the Ahmedabad airport of March 29 and have since been kept in favourable conditions.
Now that their quarantine period is over and they are stable they have been deemed
fit for public view. The zoo authorities are now planning to breed the cheetah
for which four officials have been sent for training to Singapore and South Africa.
"We are now working for training towards breeding of the cheetahs. We are sending
two people to Singapore to learn the upkeep of the animals and two people to South
Africa for training in breeding. We will pursue the programme for cheetah conservation.
We will make the cheetah conservation programme a long term programme," said Pradeep
Khanna, Principal Secretary, Forest Department, Gujarat. The residents and the
tourists have both been thronging the zoo to see the rare animal. Children are
especially excited to see the cheetah. "I am very happy to see the cheetahs. I
am also glad that now people from all over India are going to come and visit the
zoo," said Prakruti, a visitor. The zoo was home to the cheetah till 1946 when
the last of this kind died. Like Asiatic lions, the African cheetahs are also
on the verge of extinction in Asia, except in Iran. The Sakkarbaug zoo has over
900 wild animals, including 42 lions and 48 leopards. Thousands of tourists visit
the zoo every year. The zoo was established by the Nawab, erstwhile rulers, of
Junagadh. Fond of cheetahs, the Nawab had them in his personal zoo before establishing
Sakkarbaug zoo in 1863. -May
29, 2009 Go
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