The National Zoological Park (NZP), popularly known as the
Delhi zoo, has got two new inhabitants — a pair of ostriches, brought from the
Thiruvananthapuram zoo on March 22.
These flightless birds were last seen at the zoo in the 1990s
and this latest addition provides an opportunity for Delhiites to see the birds
up-close. Housed in one of the large open animal enclosures, the birds — both
about three years old — are being fed mixed seeds, bananas and will soon be
given vegetables and garlic (which is known to have medicinal value).
Zoo curator R.A. Khan said: “The birds brought from Kerala
are already proving to be a huge hit among visitors. These birds were not seen
at the zoo for a long time. ”
“The pair, we hope, will breed. As of now, we are feeding
them the diet provided in Kerala, but there is a move to slowly introduce
vegetables and garlic. The birds seem to have adjusted well to the new
environment,” said Mr. Khan.
Ms. Ciby Jacob, who had come to the zoo with her two
children, said: “These birds are exotic and we have only seen them in books and
television shows. The children are going to be the biggest beneficiaries of
this latest addition.”
No comments:
Post a Comment