AGATALA, May 8 (TIWN): Bannerghatta Zoo and National park in Bengaluru and Tripura's Sepahijala Zoo is likely to exchange animals from last week of May.

Talking to TIWN on Thursday over telephone Director of the Sepahijala Zoo Krishna Gopal Roy said, "As per an agreement, Bannerghatta zoo would provide two lions, three black bucks, two fog deers and two porcupines."

Krishna Gopal Roy further added that in exchange, Sepahijala zoo would provide to Bannerghatta zoo a pair of spectacle monkeys, three pig-tailed monkeys and two Asiatic bears. Both zoos have got the necessary approvals for the animal exchange programme from the Central Zoo Authority.

Last year Visakhapatnam's Indira Gandhi Zoological Park and the Sepahijala Zoo had also exchanged animals. Sepahijala Zoo, 25 km south of the state capital, is one of India's 22 large zoos.
This is the only zoo in India located within a wildlife sanctuary, the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. A portion of the sanctuary was also declared Clouded Leopard National Park, Director mentioned.

It is to be mentioned here that in a case of gross negligence on the part of veterinary doctors three clouded leopards at the Sepahijala wild life sanctuary lost their life’s due to babesiosis, a tick­borne malaria like illness caused by species of the intraerythrocytic protozoan Babesia, recently. According to sources two leopards died on March 23 and one leopard on March 24. Because of the lack of infrastructure, the Wild life sanctuary is losing its glory day by day.