Chennai: From being a famished, weeks-old cub that mewed and crawled out of a smuggler’s bag before being detected by officials at Chennai airport, ‘K’ has grown into a sprightly leopard. And, her keepers are beaming. She responds with gusto whenever managers at the Vandalur Zoo, who have not given her any name as her deportation order is expected to come through any time, call out to her.
Climbing on metal grid walls, frolicking with a monkey in a neighbouring enclosure, she is like a cuddlesome, adorable cat. But, often she displays her wild side, reminding her keepers of what she will eventually grow into.
Three months ago, said zoo director Yogesh Singh, when the cub was brought to the zoo after being rescued she had been smuggled out from Thailand in a flight and her condition was not good. She was immediately sequestered in the quarantine area, away from the gaze of visitors.
A team of veterinarians was tasked with her care 24x7, monitoring the cub’s behaviour. "The vets use Ethogram, a tool specially designed to study behaviour and help understand the cub’s various needs," said Singh.
The zoo managers are doing everything to ensure she does not feel out of place. A raised platform with a ladder to go up, another small shed slightly above the ground to rest, an artificial stump of a tree and a rock form part of the enclosure all designed to simulate the environment in the wild, he said.
19/05/19 P Oppili/Times of India
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Climbing on metal grid walls, frolicking with a monkey in a neighbouring enclosure, she is like a cuddlesome, adorable cat. But, often she displays her wild side, reminding her keepers of what she will eventually grow into.
Three months ago, said zoo director Yogesh Singh, when the cub was brought to the zoo after being rescued she had been smuggled out from Thailand in a flight and her condition was not good. She was immediately sequestered in the quarantine area, away from the gaze of visitors.
A team of veterinarians was tasked with her care 24x7, monitoring the cub’s behaviour. "The vets use Ethogram, a tool specially designed to study behaviour and help understand the cub’s various needs," said Singh.
The zoo managers are doing everything to ensure she does not feel out of place. A raised platform with a ladder to go up, another small shed slightly above the ground to rest, an artificial stump of a tree and a rock form part of the enclosure all designed to simulate the environment in the wild, he said.
19/05/19 P Oppili/Times of India
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