space crunch: The overcrowded enclosure of rhinos at the Patna zoo. Pictures by Deepak Kumar

Patna, July 29: Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park here holds the pride of having quite a few distinctions in its cap.

The park has the highest number of rhinoceroses, 12, among all zoological gardens in the country and the second highest in the world, after San Diego Zoo in California, US. But the list of distinctions does not end here.

Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, popularly known as the Patna zoo, has rhinos of three different bloodlines. Abhay Kumar, the zoo director, said: “Ours is the only zoo in the country which boasts of this distinction.” The zoo got its first pair of rhinos, from Assam, in 1979. Later, in 1982, a male rhino from West Champaran district was added to the zoo population. Two more rhinos came in 2007 from the San Diego Zoo.

From the outset, the zoo did not allow in-breeding. Consequently, the zoo could get progenies of the three different bloodlines. “It is difficult to get healthy cubs in case of in-breeding. Hence, we discouraged the practice right from the beginning,” Kumar said.

Kumar added that one more bloodline would be added to the zoo soon. One male rhino, received from Delhi in 2003, had intercourse with one of the existing female rhinos and now she is pregnant. The expected time of delivery is almost a year away. “We are very excited about the prospect of adding one more bloodline of rhino in the zoo,” Kumar added.

Apart from the mentioned female rhino, two more rhinos are also pregnant. Assuming that all the three females give birth to healthy babies, the zoo will have three more rhinos in a year from now.

Keeping in mind the increasing rhino population, the zoo officials have come up with an ambitious plan of setting up a rhino safari inside the zoo. A proposal, part of the master plan, in this regard has already been forwarded to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). “We have sent the broader outline of the plan. Once CZA approves of it, the detailed plan of the proposed rhino safari would be sent,” Kumar said.

An six-acre empty sprawl in the southern part of the zoo will be used to develop the safari. The rhinos are at present kept in enclosures. Once shifted to the proposed area, the rhinos will get a feel of living in the wild.

The proposed safari will be fenced with a solar electric fence from the inside to keep the animals confined within the safari limits. The outer periphery will be protected by wire mesh so that visitors could be kept at a safe distance from the solar electric fence.

An elevated pathway will also be constructed in the middle of the safari. Two wooden bridges will be set up on this pathway so that the rhinos can move freely on both sides of the safari. The pathway will also have a similar fencing as that around the rhino safari.

Kumar said: “An estimated Rs 80 lakh would be required for this project. There should not be a problem in getting CZA funds for the project as the state will be returning the unused funds CZA had given it in 2003.”

The Patna zoo did not receive any funding from the CZA in the last seven years. The zoo officials had failed to utilise around Rs 50 lakh they received from CZA in 2003. An irked CZA has said that it would not grant further funds to the zoo unless the utilisation certificate of the fund given in 2003 was submitted or the unused funds returned.

swelling count

Total no. of rhinos: 12
Female: 7
Adults: 5
Cubs: 2
Male: 5
Adults: 5
Pregnant rhinos: 3
Expected time of delivery: July-August, 2011