Eight Hogdeers from Nandankanan Shifted to Sambalpur Zoo

Bhubaneswar: Four male and four female Hogdeers from the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar have been shifted to Sambalpur Zoo.

In exchange for Hogdeers, the Nandankanan Zoo will take two male and three female Sambars from the Sambalpur Zoo.

At the Sambalpur Zoo, the Hogdeers from Nandankanan will be kept under quarantine for a period. After that, they will be available for display for visitors to the Sambalpur Zoo. Hogdeers are mostly seen in Southeast Asia, the US and Australia. In India, it’s mostly seen in north India. Their skin colour changes with the season, which makes them unique.

Males have distinct antlers. They make long whistle-like sounds during dawn and dusk. It’s a Schedule -3 animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

At present, the Sambalpur Zoo has 18 varieties of animals including leopard, bear, sambar, chowsingha, blackbucks, deer, python, peacocks and other colourful birds.

The zoo plans to have another 30 varieties of wild animals including tiger, nilgai, bison, wolf, and wild dogs.