The administration of the GB Pant High Altitude Zoo in Nainital has reasons to celebrate after two pups were born to a pair of critically endangered Tibetan wolves in the zoo. This is the first time that the Tibetan wolf has given birth successfully in captivity in Uttarakhand.
According to the zoo director and Nainital divisional forest officer Biju Lal TR, in addition to the two wolf pups, visitors to the zoo are also appreciating the two tigers, including one male declared man-eater, which are among the various animals and birds displayed in the zoo.
A pair of Tibetan wolves, comprising a male named Ashish and a female named Sheela, was brought to the GB Pant High Altitude Zoo in 2004 from the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling. According to range officer Manoj Shah, who is in charge of Nainital zoo, the pair of Tibetan wolves did not breed successfully for many years since being brought here. The pair mated successfully this year but the two pups were kept within the den in the wolf enclosure by the parents.
As Sheela was very protective and aggressively stopped staff from entering the den in the initial months, the arrival of one female and one male pup was known only about three months after their birth when the mother finally brought them out of the den some days ago. The pups are healthy and living on a diet of chicken.
The wolf pair and their pups are being monitored regularly by members of the zoo staff who plan to separate the pups from their parents after they are over six-month old, Shah said.
The Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), also known as the Chinese wolf, Mongolian wolf, Steppes wolf or the woolly wolf, is believed to be a sub-species of the gray wolf found in parts of Tibet, Central China, southwest Russia and the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan. In the wild, Tibetan wolves often come into conflict with nomadic herders because they prey on livestock and are often killed by herders.
The species is part of Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
http://www.dailypioneer.com/350809/Tibetan-wolf-pups-adorn-Nainital-zoo.html
According to the zoo director and Nainital divisional forest officer Biju Lal TR, in addition to the two wolf pups, visitors to the zoo are also appreciating the two tigers, including one male declared man-eater, which are among the various animals and birds displayed in the zoo.
A pair of Tibetan wolves, comprising a male named Ashish and a female named Sheela, was brought to the GB Pant High Altitude Zoo in 2004 from the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling. According to range officer Manoj Shah, who is in charge of Nainital zoo, the pair of Tibetan wolves did not breed successfully for many years since being brought here. The pair mated successfully this year but the two pups were kept within the den in the wolf enclosure by the parents.
As Sheela was very protective and aggressively stopped staff from entering the den in the initial months, the arrival of one female and one male pup was known only about three months after their birth when the mother finally brought them out of the den some days ago. The pups are healthy and living on a diet of chicken.
The wolf pair and their pups are being monitored regularly by members of the zoo staff who plan to separate the pups from their parents after they are over six-month old, Shah said.
The Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), also known as the Chinese wolf, Mongolian wolf, Steppes wolf or the woolly wolf, is believed to be a sub-species of the gray wolf found in parts of Tibet, Central China, southwest Russia and the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan. In the wild, Tibetan wolves often come into conflict with nomadic herders because they prey on livestock and are often killed by herders.
The species is part of Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
http://www.dailypioneer.com/350809/Tibetan-wolf-pups-adorn-Nainital-zoo.html
