Hyderabad Zoo is preparing to receive its first pair of kangaroos from Vantara, along with wallabies, ring-tailed lemurs and cassowaries, after the wildlife rescue and conservation centre agreed in principle to share animals with the Nehru Zoological Park.
The zoo has already prepared an enclosure and a night house for one male and one female kangaroo. A team from Vantara, based in Jamnagar, Gujarat, has visited the Hyderabad facility and inspected its enclosures and other infrastructure before the proposed transfers.
“Vantara has agreed to share its animal collection, including kangaroos, with us. Currently, they are occupied with other rescue and rehabilitation works. We will shortly welcome new inmates,” zoo officials said.
The planned arrivals also include a pair of wallabies, which are related to kangaroos but are smaller and generally stand at around three feet. Kangaroos can grow to about eight feet, according to the report. The zoo is also set to receive a pair of ring-tailed lemurs, primates native to Madagascar that are recognised by their long tails marked with alternating black and white rings.
Cassowaries, large flightless birds, are also part of the proposed animal collection. In addition, Vantara is expected to send a pair of zebras to Hyderabad. The zoo currently has three zebras—two males and one female—which were also brought from Vantara.
The proposed kangaroo transfer revives an earlier plan that could not be completed. In 2020, the Hyderabad Zoo had planned to bring four kangaroos from Yokohama Zoological Gardens in Japan. Although an agreement was signed between the two zoos, the transfer did not materialise because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The additions will expand a collection that currently comprises 2,178 animals, including 498 mammals, 320 reptiles and eight amphibians. The proposed transfers will therefore require the zoo to manage new species-specific enclosures and care arrangements alongside its existing animal-care operations.
Heat management has also become a current operational priority at the zoo. The administration has arranged water sprinklers, foggers and air conditioners to protect animals from rising daytime temperatures linked in the report to the El Niño impact. The zoo has not announced a specific date for the arrival of the new animals; officials said the transfers would take place after Vantara completes its ongoing rescue and rehabilitation work.
