Ranchi Zoo to get two female leopards from Lucknow Zoo in exchange of two male sloth bears

As part of an animal exchange program, Ranchi Zoo is expected to get two female leopards from Lucknow Zoo in exchange of two male sloth bears. The leopards are aged around two years each. Ranchi already has four leopards - one female and three male. The two males were rescued from Mandar in 2013 while the third came from Guwahati in 2012.
The main reason for the induction of the two young females was to accelerate the breeding program in the zoo because the lone female is aged around 17 years and too old while the two-year-old ones are young, hale and hearty.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 2 March 2017.

The Lucknow team will take sloth bears from the Bhubaneswar zoo also apart from Ranchi zoo.
The arrival of the leopards comes at a time 3when the number of people visiting the zoo has gone up, because there is lion cub on public display. It was born on December 17 and was the first ever successful lion breeding in the zoo. It has been put for public viewing about two weeks ago.


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Tata Steel Zoological Park makes its sloth bears feel at home with almonds and honey

Tata Steel Zoological Park in Jamshedpur wants to make its sloth bears feel at home and hence have made liberal use of almonds and honey. It has got honey trickling from tree trunks. This is because of directives issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) which states that the animal enclosures must be more natural.
The enclosures must simulate the wild to make animals come out of cages. The bears must feel as if they were living in the wild.
This has been reported in telgraphindia.com dated 6 December 2016.

Because of that, the 3,000sqft enclosure that hosts a male and two female sloth bears has two ponds and artificial tunnels and one hump. The caretakers smear honey daily on trees and strew almonds on the ground so that the bears can enjoy these in a more natural way.
Moreover, the cell for the sloth bears also wears a wild look - it looks like a cave with rocks. It also has a crawl area. Captive sloth bears can live for 35 to 40 years and these steps are expected to increase their life span by two to three years. Visitors to the zoo will also like the animals better when they are more playful.
Incidentally, the 10-year-old male sloth bear was rescued from Chaibasa in 2008. Its female counterparts, both aged 25, were freed from madaris in New Delhi in 1997. Their breakfast consists of almonds, honey and carrots. The lunch menu is milk and rice and they have chapattis for dinner.
The sloth bear is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN - this is attributed to loss of habitat and poaching.


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Sloth bears of Mount Abu - habitat loss leads to conflict with humans

Sloth bears are available in plenty in the region between Mt Abu and Banaskantha district in Gujarat, which is home to the Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary. As per a latest census exercise it is estimated that there are about 350 sloth bears in Mt Abu. They can be seen on the roads near the forest area at night.
These animals are usually harmless and do not attack those even when they come near but they can get ferocious if there are young cubs.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 2 November 2016.

They are usually believed to be harmless and do not attack those even when they come nearby - however, they can get ferocious if there are young cubs. Based on information available, about 75 people had been killed by the bears in the region between Jessore and Mt Abu in 1997-2008. Also, there is an increasing trend in the bear attacks over the years, with more casualties on the Rajasthan side.
It may be noted that sloth bears have a tendency to stay away from human habitation but, with shrinking spaces in the wild and loss of habitat, these animals keep getting into conflict with humans.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org



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