New Delhi: Delhi Zoo has acquired a pair of flightless Rhea birds from Kerala, an addition to other varieties of flightless birds, including ostrich, Emu and Cassowary housed in the zoo.
"We have welcomed a pair of flightless Rhea birds from Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. It is for the first time that the Delhi Zoo is getting Rhea birds. We have other flightless birds like Ostrich, Emu and Cassowary, but with the latest possession, we hope our avian population looks more appealing to visitors," Riyaz Khan, zoo curator said.
"The male-female pair is currently under observation. We will put them on display after the winters," he said.
Another zoo official noted that the birds are "highly sensitive" and run the risk of getting attacked. "The large flightless Rhea birds are the natives of South America. They are highly sensitive creatures. They usually bang their necks on the cage and get badly wounded. They also run the risk of getting attacked. We are taking due care of them," he said.
The National Zoological Park houses 642 birds, as per the inventory report of March 2015. Apart from the Rhea birds, the zoo also got a pair of spectacled Caiman (American Crocodile), great Indian horned Owls, Brahminy Kites, Bonnet Macaque and Barn Owls from the Kerala zoo.
"The animals and birds are doing fine. They are all on display," Khan said.
The official noted that many other animals like Himalayan Black Bears, Rhinoceros and Ostrich will be acquired by the Delhi zoo in the future. "We are also trying to make Vijay, the popular white tiger, breed with a yellow tiger. Vijay had recently fathered four cubs with Kalpana tigress," he said.
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