Thrissur: Ganga, the leopard and Rishi, the tiger runs towards Deepu whenever he calls them by their names. Things have changed in Thrissur zoo after visitors have been banned following the lockdown. Animals became friends with their caretaker. Earlier, the crowd visiting the zoo made them irritated but now they seem calm and energetic.

Deepu has now befriended Ganga and Rishi. They will bring their face close to the fence standing up on two feet seeing Deepu. This was not a usual sight in the zoo.

35-year-old Deepu is a Vazhuthacaud native. Although, it has only been six months since he joined the zoo, he has become an important caretaker for the animals there. Ganga, the leopard was the first one to be friends with Deepu in the zoo. The leopard was born there on March 3, 2014. The bond grew closer after the lockdown came into existence. Ganga will come and lie next to the fence so that Deepu can scratch her back. Although the new law states that Deepu cannot touch the animal, the leopard still lies near the fence when Deepu is around.

The tiger called Rishi also grew close to Deepu after visitors stopped coming. It was Deepu who released him to a larger cage and started playing with him regularly.

When Deepu first appeared in a mask wearing gloves, the animals were suspicious. However, they recognized his voice later.