Goa zoo gets a pair of sloth bear from Hyderabad

PANAJI: Bondla zoo in Goa has added a pair of sloth bear procured under an exchange programme from Hyderbad-based Nehru Zoological park, forest officials said.

The Goa zoo would, in turn, offer a pair of bison to its counterpart in Hyderabad.

The 8-sq-km zoo, tucked in Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, had a female sloth bear named Meena in its captivity for the last six years, which was against the guidelines of Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

"CZA makes it mandatory that no single animal or animal of single sex would be kept in a zoo," a senior forest department officer said.

After 30 hours of road journey from Hyderabad, the pair of sloth bear reached Goa zoo on March 6. They would be kept in quarantine for three weeks before putting it for display in the enclosure, he said.

"We will be sending a pair of bison soon to the Hyderabad zoo," the officer said.

The forest department has named the bear couple as Raju and Chennama.