Spotted deer at Amirthi Zoological Park, around 25 km away from Vellore town, will soon get company as zoo officials are planning to bring a pair of black buck, a few pairs of cobra, a python and a common krait, mostly from Vandalur zoo in Chennai.
Forest officials said that as Amirthi Zoo has been classified as a mini-zoo based on its total area, it can accommodate only herbivorous species as per the norms of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Also, the zoo can bring or exchange wild species only from other zoos and not from the wild (as in the case of Vandalur zoo). “We have just started the process of bringing a few species to Amirthi Zoo. The species will be brought mostly from Vandalur or Kurumbapatti zoo (Salem),” S. Kalanidhi, District Forest Officer (DFO), Vellore division, told The Hindu.
As per plan, forest officials said that a team led by the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) will visit Vandalur zoo in the coming days to speed up the process under the animal exchange programme.
