Shivani, a 1.7-year-old female giraffe born to Bharatha and Babli at Mysuru zoo, was successfully transported by road to Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Bengaluru.
The 13.5-feet-tall Shivani was shifted to BBP as part of an animal exchange programme with approval from the Central Zoo Authority. To ensure a stress-free and comfortable journey, Shivani underwent crate training over the past few weeks.
The crate with the giraffe was mounted on the multi-wheel truck and the journey began from Mysuru at 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday. It safely reached BBP at 12 noon, covering a distance of 200 km, said the zoo authorities.
Shivani joined other giraffes at BBP on reaching the destination.
Surya Sen, executive director, BBP; J.L. Srinivas, assistant director, Mysuru zoo; K.V. Madan, veterinary adviser, Zoo Authority of Karnataka; V. Muniraj and Dinesh, range forest officers; M.S. Roshan Krishna, veterinary officer, animal keepers, and staff accompanied the giraffe.
Recently, Giraffe Shankara was shifted to Hampi zoo. Since 2018, a total of six giraffes have been shifted to various zoos from Mysuru.
Giraffe Gowri was shifted to BBP in 2018; Giraffe Jayachamaraja to Assam State Zoo in 2019; Giraffe Yaduveer to BBP in 2020; and Giraffe Adyaveer and Balaji to Singapore Zoo in 2021.
D. Mahesh Kumar, executive director, Mysuru zoo, thanked the Police Department and other authorities for helping the zoo authorities safely shift the animal to BBP.
The departments, including the electricity supply authorities, coordinated with the ZAK in the efforts.
Mysuru zoo is reckoned to be one of the leading Indian zoos to have successfully bred giraffes in captivity. The zoo is in a position to spare giraffes in exchange for animals which are not in its collection, or give to zoos within the State for improving their collections. After giraffe Kushi was brought from Lucknow in 2007, the Mysuru zoo’s captive breeding of giraffes received a boost.
The Mysuru zoo’s effort to shift giraffe Jayachamaraja to Assam was considered most challenging as the 12-feet tall animal was successfully transported to Guwahati, covering a distance of about 3,200 km, including the roads in the hilly terrains, through many States in a custom-built crate. This was perhaps the longest distance a giraffe travelled on road so far in recent decades. The zoo had in the past transported a giraffe to Patna zoo, covering a distance of about 1,800 km, in 2014. In such long-distance travels, the giraffes undergo preparatory training for about six months and were familiarised with the tall crates and fed inside the enclosure as part of the acclimatisation process, the zoo authorities said.
