Delhi zoo to get new members; will acquire giraffes, African lions and kangaroos

This summer the animal lovers of the National capital is prepping up to welcome special guests in the city.

The National Zoological Park in New Delhi has asked World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) for acquisition of various animals including giraffes, African lions and kangaroos, the Centre informed on Tuesday.

"National Zoological Park is making efforts to procure animals from other zoos of the country and other World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) -affiliated zoos.

"For acquisition of Ostrich, the Zoo has requested to Thiruvananthapuram Zoo in Kerala and Zoo has requested to WAZA member zoos of Europe for Giraffe, African Lion, Red Lechwe and Kangaroo," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

He said from the number of tickets sold, it is evident that a large number of visitors have been visiting the zoo and only one enclosure for giraffe is lying empty.

Elaborating about the deaths of animals in the Delhi Zoo and its causes, Dave said that in 2015, there was reported death of a giraffe which died of myocarditis and kidney failure and a king cobra which died of pneumonitis, in 2016, an ostrich had died and in 2011, a zebra died, he said.