The six-year-old male giraffe, Joy, at Nandankanan zoo in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
It has been brought from Alipore zoo in Calcutta as part of an animal exchange programme.
Joy will have Nandankanan's lone female giraffe Khushi for company. Khushi was brought to the zoo from Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park in Patna in 2012 for breeding purpose. Nandankanan authorities said that the 14-ft tall animal was brought under special security.
"Bengal police escorted the special vehicle till it crossed the border. Divisional forest officers also extended their help in smooth transportation of the animal. However, our main concern was to transport it from Cuttack to Nandankanan via Gopalpur. The authorities of Central Electricity Supply Utility had cut off the power supply on this route as a precautionary measure when Joy was being transported," said deputy director of the zoo, Jayant Dash.
The zoo authorities had made elaborate arrangements for the animal, as their first attempt to bring a giraffe to the zoo in 2008 had resulted in the death of the animal. It was electrocuted a few hours after it left the Alipore zoo. An eight-member team, including a doctor, accompanied Joy during its journey.
"Joy would be kept under quarantine for one month. Though he is sharing the enclosure with Khushi, both of them have been kept isolated by the barrier," said a zoo official.
The zoo authorities are hopeful of a better bonding between the two animals for breeding purpose. "Successful breeding would be a great achievement for the zoo as we would have the option to bring other animals under the exchange programme," said Dash.
Nandankanan authorities have given four tigers, including two female, to Alipore zoo in exchange of the giraffe. While two of the tigers are two years old, the other two are aged seven and 11.
Text by Lelin Mallick
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