Choicest fish, secure travel cage: Pair of smooth-coated otters set off on 1,200-km journey to Delhi Zoo
The animals, arriving after an exchange programme with the Surat zoo, will be seen at the Delhi zoo's water pool for the first time in two decades. The last otter at the National Zoological Park died in 2004.
'For the 1,200-km road journey, arrangements have been made for a secure animal cage,' said Dr Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian at the Delhi zoo.
A team from Delhi went to Surat to transport the animals. Upon arrival, the otters will be quarantined for 21 days and their enclosure is being readied.
'We found this to be a suitable month for the exchange as the animals will have enough time to acclimatise and prepare for the winter,' added Dr Bhawal.
The Central Zoo Authority had approved the exchange between February 17 and August 16 this year.
From the Shyamaprasad Mukherji Zoological Garden in Sarthana, Surat, Delhi will receive 10 Indian star tortoises and the otter pair in exchange for five sangai deer, two blue-yellow macaws and four green-cheeked conures.
Delhi zoo director, Dr Sanjeet Kumar, wrote to the Surat zoo superintendent, informing them that a veterinary officer would travel along with the animals from the national capital for health checks and formalities.
While Delhi's temperatures and climate are suitable for the otters, Surat zoo's veterinary officer Dr Rajesh Patel said the main challenge is to prevent female infighting once young otters hit puberty around 3.5 years.
'In 2008, we recorded 60 births here. When otter pups grow, the risk of infighting rises, so we separate the parents to prevent a group from isolating and killing a weaker member,' he said.
The Surat zoo currently houses 39 otters, with one family of 11 on display and six breeding pairs in a separate enclosure.
'I have seen such a large otter population only in the wild,' Dr Bhawal noted. 'Our aim with the visit was also to learn Surat's management system, as breeding otters in captivity is notoriously difficult.'
'There is no major disease or survival risk. Mainly food and sanitation need to be taken care of. Breeding remains the only real challenge,' Dr Patel added.
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