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The leopard enclosure gets jute curtains to keep the chill out, while (above) haystacks will keep birds and deer warm at Tata zoo. Pictures by Animesh Sengupta
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Big cats are bingeing on meat, leopards are lounging in heated enclosures, deer are making most of hay and pheasants are hogging the spotlight.
No, this isn’t an incredible set for any Hollywood animal movie, but the cosy confines of 73-acre Tata Steel Zoological Park that has turned into a warm winter retreat with special diet and lodging arrangements for its 400-odd denizens.
Zoo director Bipul Chakraborty said carnivores like lion, tigers and leopards were being given extra pounds of flesh to increase their rate of metabolism and keep them warm.
“The nights are already cold now. The chill will only increase in coming months. So, their enclosures, along with that of the sloth bear, have been fitted with heaters. Night guards have been instructed to switch on room heaters at 9pm and switch them off after daybreak. Windows and ventilators, which may allow cold air to sweep in, have been covered with jute at night. And, blowers are being kept handy to keep all cages dry,” he added.
The objective, Chakraborty pointed out, was to maintain an optimum temperature of around 20°C inside.
“The spotted deer and antelope enclosures have received extra padding of hay to make them cosy. Bird cages have been patched with gunny bags, pots have been provided for nesting and the pheasant cage has been provided with light bulbs. For gharials and reptiles, shades above their ditches have been pruned for extra sunlight,” the director maintained.
Zoo vet Manik Palit, on his part, has made necessary alterations in species-wise diet charts. Besides meat, it is ounces of vitamin supplements for the carnivores. Herbivores have their lion’s share of green fodder, as well as minerals and vitamins. Arboreal (tree climbing) animals such as monkeys and langurs are being fed seasonal fruits, along with doses of minerals and vitamins. Birds are also receiving extra vitamins.
Explaining the reason behind such elaborate arrangements, Palit said captive animals had much less resistance to cold than those that live in the wild.
“During winter, animals in the wild adapt to plummeting temperatures by finding out warm hideouts, hibernating and eating different herbs and roots. Here in a zoo, animals are bereft of such natural alternatives to beat the cold. Hence, we do our best to make them cosy,” he added.
Palit said though the animals become slothful in winter, Tata zoo has never witnessed winter death unlike Birsa zoo in Ranchi, where two monkeys had died a few years ago and a bear suffered from critical illness.
Director Chakraborty said all these special arrangements would continue at least till February. “We may even extend the period, if the weather doesn’t get warmer,” he added.
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