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Wanted: Male hoolock gibbon: The Pioneer
New Delhi, Apr 17: Finding a suitable life partner is not an easy task in India. Not even for the National Zoological Park (NZP) authorities! They are in search of a male counterpart for a hoolock gibbon but their efforts have not yielded any positive results so far.
New Delhi, Apr 17: Finding a suitable life partner is not an easy task in India. Not even for the National Zoological Park (NZP) authorities! They are in search of a male counterpart for a hoolock gibbon but their efforts have not yielded any positive results so far.
"We will pay any price to get a life partner for our gibbon. We are ready to go anywhere so as to get a suitable groom for her," a zoo official said. The zoo authorities' search for a groom has been going on for the last six years.
The zoo officials claimed to have approached almost every zoo in the country with the hope of getting a male gibbon. "We even posted the requirement of a male gibbon on our website. It bore no fruits," an official added. What seems to have made the going tough for the zoo authorities is the fact that hoolock gibbon is a highly endangered species in the country. "At the moment, the gibbon is believed to be available only in the forests of Tripura and in some south-east Asian countries," the official added. Earlier, these gibbons were also found in the forests of Assam.
The gibbon, which is considered to be a very intelligent ape, is offered a balanced diet in the zoo to maintain her health. Her daily diet includes one egg, two bananas, green vegetable leaves, onion, bread, milk, potato, carrot, groundnuts and apple, apart from the seasonal fruits.
It is, however, not only the female gibbon for whom the wait for her life mate is proving to be endless. There is also a male red deer who has been waiting for years for his mate. "Like the gibbon, there is the severe scarcity of the red deer in the zoos of the country. So, it is difficult to get a partner for him," the official said.
For the hapless animals, like the gibbon and the red deer in the NZP, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has created a website to help in the search for suitable life mates. "Some time back, a female red deer was traced in a zoo in south India. She was too old to be the mate of our red deer," the official said.
The pairing problem, however, is not haunting only the mammals of the zoo. "There are a number of birds which have not found their life mates. Lots of efforts are required to bring their male and female mates," the official, pleading anonymity, said. "We are constantly in touch with other zoo authorities and even the wildlife officials of some States to help us find a partner for the gibbon. If everything goes well, we will shortly have one for her," B S Bonal, zoo director, said.
"We are more concerned about the gibbon, as it belongs to the category of highly endangered animals in the country. If we succeed in our efforts, it will be a big achievement on our part," Mr Bonal added.
"We will pay any price to get a life partner for our gibbon. We are ready to go anywhere so as to get a suitable groom for her," a zoo official said. The zoo authorities' search for a groom has been going on for the last six years.
The zoo officials claimed to have approached almost every zoo in the country with the hope of getting a male gibbon. "We even posted the requirement of a male gibbon on our website. It bore no fruits," an official added. What seems to have made the going tough for the zoo authorities is the fact that hoolock gibbon is a highly endangered species in the country. "At the moment, the gibbon is believed to be available only in the forests of Tripura and in some south-east Asian countries," the official added. Earlier, these gibbons were also found in the forests of Assam.
The gibbon, which is considered to be a very intelligent ape, is offered a balanced diet in the zoo to maintain her health. Her daily diet includes one egg, two bananas, green vegetable leaves, onion, bread, milk, potato, carrot, groundnuts and apple, apart from the seasonal fruits.
It is, however, not only the female gibbon for whom the wait for her life mate is proving to be endless. There is also a male red deer who has been waiting for years for his mate. "Like the gibbon, there is the severe scarcity of the red deer in the zoos of the country. So, it is difficult to get a partner for him," the official said.
For the hapless animals, like the gibbon and the red deer in the NZP, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has created a website to help in the search for suitable life mates. "Some time back, a female red deer was traced in a zoo in south India. She was too old to be the mate of our red deer," the official said.
The pairing problem, however, is not haunting only the mammals of the zoo. "There are a number of birds which have not found their life mates. Lots of efforts are required to bring their male and female mates," the official, pleading anonymity, said. "We are constantly in touch with other zoo authorities and even the wildlife officials of some States to help us find a partner for the gibbon. If everything goes well, we will shortly have one for her," B S Bonal, zoo director, said.
"We are more concerned about the gibbon, as it belongs to the category of highly endangered animals in the country. If we succeed in our efforts, it will be a big achievement on our part," Mr Bonal added.