Wait for another 10 months and the much-awaited chimpanzee is all set to be at the Assam State Zoo.
And interestingly, it will be coming from Indonesia.
On Sunday, the Assam State Zoo inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Taman Safari, Bogor, Indonesia.
Before this, there were talks of getting chimpanzees, but it has not materialised till date. Visitors have been looking forward to a chimpanzee in the zoo for long as the animal is a big crowd-puller.
According to the MoU, the Indonesian safari will provide two male and two female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and two male and two female binturong (Aretictis binturong) while the Assam State Zoo will send a male and a female rhino. The zoo at present has six rhinos.
“It will take 10 months for the chimpanzees to reach the zoo here,” divisional forest officer of Assam State Zoo, Tejas Mariswamy, told The Telegraph.
He said talks were on for quite some time between both the zoos before the MoU was signed on Sunday.
“We will now send the agreement to the Central Zoo Authority for approving the deal and there are a few more clearances to be taken,” Mariswamy added.
According to the MoU, both parties will cooperate and consult each other in relation to several exchange programmes verbally agreed in this understanding.“A new enclosure will be constructed for the animals coming from Indonesia,” Mariswamy said.
A Bangkok-based company, Goatrade Farming Co. Ltd, will assist both the parties in all possible details regarding animal exchange, provide advisory service in obtaining permission in procurement of CITES and health certificate, staff exchange programme, crating and transportation.
The agreement says the animals shall be in good condition, free of any infectious or contagious disease and should be capable of breeding as and when they reach breeding age.
The Assam State Zoo is located in the Hengerabari reserve forest in Guwahati. The zoo occupies an area of 175 hectares which include a botanical garden spread across 82 hectares. The zoo has 110 species.
