Zebras return to Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after nine-year gap

Zebras will return to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after nine years, with a pair expected to arrive during the Onam holidays, Mathrubhumi reports. Minister for Museums and Zoos O. J. Janeesh said procedures to bring the animals from the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (Vantara) in Gujarat have been completed. The zoo previously housed a zebra named Seetha, brought from Chennai Vandalur Zoo in April 2002, which died of old age in 2017.

The pair from Vantara are aged three and five years. Zoo veterinary surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran has examined them and assessed their health. They will be transported by road in a specially equipped animal ambulance, with a team led by a veterinary surgeon accompanying them on the three-day journey. In exchange, the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo will send a male lion-tailed macaque and a king cobra to Vantara.

Zoo Director Manjuladevi said bringing zebras back after several years was a matter of great joy, and their arrival during Onam would be a special attraction. Arrangements are under the supervision of Zoo Superintendent T. V. Anil Kumar, with authorities working to ensure visitors can see the zebras during the Onam holidays.