Know that a macaw constantly cuts plants with its mandible and loves to hang on swings. That it consumes the walnut by breaking its hard cover.
Maintain the Bengal tiger’s instinct to make it grab the piece of meat from a hanging jute ball inside its enclosure.
Force a deer to stretch to collect fodder inside the enclosure.
Around 200 zookeepers posted in the zoological parks of the eastern parts of India assembled at the Bengal Safari Park, also known as the North Bengal Wild Animal Park (NBWAP), near here for a three-day training to learn about animals’ natural behaviours so that they could better care for the animals at their respective parks.
“The training was provided to the zookeepers to upgrade their skills and to enhance their knowledge of zoo management,” said Sourav Choudhury, the member secretary of the West Bengal Zoo Authority (WBZA), on Saturday.
The three-day training will conclude on Sunday.
The Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) recognises 150 zoological parks across India. In addition to Bengal zookeepers, those working at zoos in Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha also joined the training.
In north Bengal, NBWAP, spread over 297 hectares, is the only open-air zoological park.
The Bengal Safari Park has 12 Bengal tigers, the Himalayan black bear, separate primate enclosures, an open-air aviary, leopards, gharials (fish-eating crocodiles) and a nature interpretation centre. Every day, hundreds visit the park.
Along with senior foresters, Ashish Samanta, a retired forest officer and a technical consultant of the zoo authority of Bengal, along with the directors of the safari park and the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park of Darjeeling, also conducted sessions at the training. They said zookeepers have a major role in the welfare of animals, their habitat management, and conservation.
“The behavioural changes of the animals, breeding period, et al, were highlighted during the training. At the same time, they were apprised of the preventive measures to keep the animals safe from being infected,” said a source.
