Onam treat for visitors: Zebras set to return to Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after nine years

Thiruvananthapuram: Zebras are set to return to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo after a gap of nine years, offering visitors a chance to see the animals during the upcoming Onam holidays.

Minister for Museums and Zoos O. J. Janeesh said the procedures to bring a pair of zebras from the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (Vantara) in Gujarat to the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo have been completed.

The return of zebras comes nine years after their presence at the zoo ended in 2017, when Seetha, a zebra brought from the Chennai Vandalur Zoo in April 2002, died of old age.

The pair being brought from Vantara are aged three and five years. Zoo veterinary surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran has examined the animals and assessed their health condition.

The zebras will be transported to Thiruvananthapuram by road in a specially equipped animal ambulance. A team led by a veterinary surgeon will accompany them during the journey, which is expected to take around three days.

As part of the exchange, the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo will send a male lion-tailed macaque and a king cobra to Vantara.

Zoo Director Manjuladevi said it was a matter of great joy to bring zebras back to the zoo after several years. She added that their arrival during the Onam season would be a special attraction for visitors.

Arrangements are being made under the supervision of Zoo Superintendent T. V. Anil Kumar, with authorities working to ensure that visitors can see the zebras during the Onam holidays.