Bhubaneswar, March 12: Hope has risen in the hearts of animal lovers and zoo authorities that lions and leopards at the zoo would decide to go the family way.

The pitter-patter of little paws and heart-rending wails of baby cubs should fill the zoo soon, as Nandankanan zoo will shortly have a pair of Asiatic lions and a pair of leopards brought here for breeding purposes.

The animals, which will come as a gift from the Junagadh zoo in Gujarat, will reach here in the last week of this month.

“We have been trying to get lions for a long time and have been in constant touch with various zoos in the country. A team will start their journey next week to bring the animals here. They are expected to reach here by the last week of this month,” said director of the zoo Sudarshan Panda.

The lion population at the zoo stands at 11, including six females, while it has five leopards, including two females. Sources at the zoo said the animals would be brought for breeding purposes.

The zoo authorities are also building a new open-air enclosure for leopards. Earlier, the leopards used to be kept in enclosures with fencing all around them.

“Following the new guidelines of Central Zoo Authority of India, leopards will be kept in open-air enclosures. We will set up a special enclosure for the leopards,” said a zoo official.

Nandankanan zoo used to have more than 50 lions about 12 years ago, but the population has now dropped to 11. Of the 11 lions, only one is nine years old, while the remaining are in the 15 to 20 age group, which is a major cause for concern of the zoo authorities. There has been no lion birth in captive conditions in the past eight years. The last lion in captivity was born in 2004 or 2005.

The lion safari set up in 1984 on 20 hectares used to have more than 30 lions but the decrease in lion population has resulted in only eight lions being kept in it. “Gone are the days when the tourists could see a number of lions in the safari. With fewer lions in the safari, visitors might or might not catch a glimpse of the king of the jungle depending on their luck,” said a zoo official.

The zoo will also procure a cinereous vulture, which will come as a gift from the Jammu zoo. It is expected to reach here on March 17. The zoo authorities have made special arrangements for the animals keeping an eye on the soaring mercury.

The arrangements include construction of shades with straw cover.