Sloth bears from Mysore zoo to head to Germany

NEW DELHI: Four sloth bears from the Mysore zoo will be sent to the Leipzig zoo in Germany which is known for management of the vulnerable nocturnal mammal. In return, India will have access to knowledge and expertise on handling of sloth bear. This is one of the key features of the MoU signed between the zoo authorities of both the countries on Saturday.

The Central Authority Zoo and the Leipzig zoo signed the memorandum of understanding for improving cooperation and management of captive animal population and the starting point was conserving the sloth bears.

Elaborating on the plan, Dr J Junhold, president of the Leipzig zoo, said their zoo needs sloth bears for breeding which will be provided to them by the Mysore zoo. “The idea is to maintain the population in both the countries. The Leipzig zoo is known for management of sloth bears since 1905 and the MoU shall help Indian zoos gain that knowledge,” said Junhold.

Junhold who is also the president of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) made his visit to Delhi a year before the next WAZA conference, which will be hosted in the city in 2014.

For the exchange of sloth bears and its information, six Indian zoos have been identified. These are Delhi Zoo, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore; Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad; Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai; Assam State Zoo, Guwahati and Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar.