A chimpanzee family

Guwahati, Nov. 28: “Dunstons” will soon check into Guwahati zoo. After nearly a decade, the only zoological park in the state will have four chimpanzees under an exchange programme from Mysore.

The divisional forest officer of Assam state zoo, S.S. Rao, told The Telegraph that the decision to acquire the chimps was taken in view of frequent requests from visitors.

“Young visitors have often expressed their disappointment to our staff that there are no chimpanzees in the zoo. Now we hope that their dreams of seeing a chimpanzee in real life will be fulfilled,” Rao said.

The zoo at present has almost all other species of the ape family, including orang-utans, baboons and golden langurs.

Rao said officials from the Mysore zoo visited the Assam state zoo recently for discussions on the exchange programme. “They are looking for a pair of rhinos. We have agreed to part with one male rhino in return for the chimpanzees, which are prize possessions for any zoo,” Rao said.

All animal exchange programmes are finalised by the Central Zoo Authority after taking into account views from respective state governments and the facilities available at both zoos.

The Central Zoo Authority acts according to the “animal exchange list” which is a compendium of the animals available with all the zoos of the country.

The zoo authorities are finding it a bit difficult to give away rhinos considering the importance of the animal. Officials said the book value of a rhino at the Assam state zoo is Rs 6.5 lakh.

Sources said Assam zoo is hamstrung by lack of communication facilities. The telephone lines have been cut after the forest department failed to clear dues amounting to Rs 19,000. “This has become a big problem for the zoo as even the divisional forest officer cannot be contacted,” a source said.

Though the DFO has written to the higher-ups in the department, no action has been taken.

But despite the handicap, they are carrying on with the upkeep of the zoo, Rao said.