Darjeeling Zoo news

I FOUND THIS STUFF AFTER A QUICK SEARCH BUT I HAVANT BEEN THERE MYSELF.

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the zoological park in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The zoo is at an average elevation of 2133.5 m. It specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions, and has successful captive breeding programes for the Snow leopard, the critically endangered Himalayan wolf and the Red panda. The zoo is spread over an area of 44 hectares and attracts 300,000 visitors every year.

A zoo was established on August 14, 1958 in the Birch Hill neighbourhood of Darjeeling under the Department of Education of the Government of West Bengal with a goal to study and preserve Himalayan fauna. The zoo now contains endangered animals like snow leopards, red pandas, gorals (mountain goat), Siberian tigers and a variety of endangered birds. However, there has been concern regarding the fact that the Himalayan animals may face a threat due to rising temperatures in the hilly area.[1]

The park is named after Late Padmaja Naidu (1900-1975), the Governor of West Bengal (1956-1967)and the daughter of legendary nationalist leader, poet, orator and called the 'Nightingale of India' Sarojini Naidu.

The zoo serves as the central hub for Central Zoo Authority of India's Red Panda.

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An exchange of red pandas between the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park at Darjeeling and zoos in Australia and New Zealand is on the cards, to improve the bloodline of the arboreal animals in the Darjeeling zoo’s captive breeding programme.

“The plans are still in the proposal stage, but we want to exchange two male red pandas with an animal each from the Auckland zoo in New Zealand and the Adelaide zoo in Australia,” zoo director A.K. Jha told The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling.

Started in 1990, the captive breeding programme for red pandas, described as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is one of the most successful conservation initiatives of the Darjeeling zoo, which was home to 14 of them, Mr. Jha said.
“About 55 births have taken place in the zoo since the project started and we have also been able to release four red pandas at the Singalila National Park in Darjeeling,” he added.

In 1990, the zoo had only four red pandas (one male and three female), all of wild origin. To augment the stock, animals from the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium arrived over the years.

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The Central Zoo Authority of India has adjudged Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling as the best zoo in the country.
The 1830-odd zoos across the country were judged on 41 parameters like mortality and breeding rates of the animals, standard of veterinary services, overall maintenance and success in various programmes including conservation of animals.

The survey was conducted over a period of three years. The Darjeeling zoo is the only zoo in the six districts of north Bengal.

“Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the first zoo in the country to have not only bred red pandas in captivity but also successfully released them in the wild. The success of this programme helped us a lot in bagging the best zoo award,” said Jha.

The Darjeeling zoo is currently conducting conservation programmes for not only red pandas, but also other endangered species like snow leopard, Tibetan wolf and Himalayan salamander.

Permission has also been granted to the Darjeeling zoo to start breeding programmes for seven more animals and birds. These include blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan monal, grey peacock pheasants, Himalayan blood pheasants and zatyr tragopan.
“We are hoping to set up a pheasantry (where all pheasants will be kept) at Deer Park in Dow Hill, Kurseong. The set-up will come up over an area of about 70 acres and we are currently working out the financial allocation,” said the director.

He added that the pheasantry in Kurseong should be functional by next year.
 
Anybody knows if there are any snow leopards of known Himalayan origin (pure subspecies) in Indian zoos?
 
The Darjeeling Zoo has announced the birth of 3 snow leopard cubs April 10, 2021 to pair Namkha (Mulhouse) and Zima (noted as Poland; edit - she was born. in 2010 in Leipzig Zoo and sent by way of Lodz June 2012, arrived October 2013 in India). It has been a while ...., nonetheless, good news!
Last birth from the same pair in 2018 (2 cubs). Total tally now at Padmaja Naidu Zoo Park is currently at 12 snow leopards.

Bit of a curio the statement by the zoo director on the only ....! I wonder if he was misquoted, otherwise somewhat of an outlandish and unbefitting comment (longtime Korkeasaaren Zoo - Helsinki as studbook holder and others promoting snow leopard conservation breeding).

It also needs underlining that over the last few years 2.3 captive bred snow leopards have augmented the PNZP population from EAZA/EEP zoos, including Lodz (0.2, sisters born in Leipzig), Nuernberg (0.1), Dudley (1.0 Makalu) and male Namkha (Mulhouse).

Of note further, the zoo director is alluding to the possible release of snow leopards into the wild (???).

Link: Darjeeling zoo welcomes 3 snow leopard cubs | Kolkata News - Times of India
 
vogelcommando said:
And another article about the release to the wild programm of Red pandas of the zoo :

Re-wilding red pandas: Darjeeling zoo attempts country’s first augmentation of endangered mammal in the wild
Click to expand...
What surprises me is that the Indian WTI Institute has selected 8 and 9 year old individuals for reintroduction. To select older range animals is unusual being less adaptable. Average lifespan said to be 14 years in the wild.

I have to go back to the earlier releases to see about survivability.
 
 
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