ROMANCE IN WOODS: Sexual Starvation passé, Baby boom hits Erstwhile Allen Forests Zoo in India

It  was in mid eighties animals in an Indian zoo were virtually blighted to lead sexually starved life driving many of them run amok. But now,this Kanpur zoo is witnessing baby boom.

Many of them born here while many orphaned  babies are brought here for fresh lease of life.
       
It is like “JJ” whale calf rescued in US and its  its famous story was viral on international news circuits in 1997. This zoo is full of  “JJs” . 

This youtube link- https://youtu.be/8JbkHKOyGGs   - is about the  Current Baby boom in the zoo.

 Transcript


ROMANCE IN WOODS

  

Sexual Starvation passé, Baby boom hits Erstwhile Allen Forests Zoo in Kanpur   

It was in Mid-Eighties When Animals in Kanpur zoo were virtually blighted to lead sexually starved lives, driving many of them to run amok. Many frustrated singles had hurt themselves fighting with iron grills of cages during heat.  

Time has taken a full circle in years gone by.

Now, baby boom has hit erstwhile Allen Forests  zoo. Many of them are born here while many orphaned babies were brought  in the recent past. 

Zoo has earned reputation of being adept in hand rearing. May it be of Lions cubs, baby owls, Fox, leopards, Tiger cubs, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle cats, rare and exotic  species of birds.

 An orphaned gray whale calf, JJ, was found dehydrated and disoriented of the coast of California on June 10,1997 . It  had created an international storm to save the calf  which was separated by its mother during annual migration from Alaska to Mexico.

Kanpur Zoo is full of JJs. Saving and rearing of endangered species are being carried in Mission Mode.  

But, deserted enclosures of Orangutans, Giraffe, once frolicking otters, Chimpanzee , Zebras,Cheetah  give a  depressive feeling .

 In yester years, the zoo had all these animals. Famous Chajuu  chimpanzee was also hand reared here in those days. Producer of this video clip then had pleasure to have handshake with that Chimpanzee. Delhi based Cancer specialist Dr Munish Gairola also fondly  recalls the s chimpanzee’s survival story  .

In mid-eighties, many rare animals had no partner because of untimely deaths. That scenario was scary with many animals were seen going wild and disturbed due to loneliness.   

It was then, An idea of animals’ honeymoon was mooted here and exchange of productive partners had taken place. It had proved both boon and bane for the park as some animals had died too during process of relocations and acclimatization of new environs.

Right now, Leopards cubs –Chandoo and Chandinee , away from public glare , are recuperating  in  Hospital .

These two leopard babies with sparkling eyes and shining skin like refreshing young green plants, have bewitching looks. Their  nails are getting sharper by the day.They were found in Jungles of Amroha in Uttar Pradesh.

If Chandoo  and Chandinee  are privileged lot to relish hospitality in well designed and cool but isolated Chamber.

Baby Jackie is luckier than them. He has been kept in an AC room for rearing. Doctors have vacated a sitting room to pave way for Jackie.He jumps on cushioned seats and get snuggled in a netted bed sprawled on the floor to prevent it from mosquitoes.   

Doctor RK Singh says animals also want someone to play with them and they relish soft caressing like mothers who lick them.

 Dehydrated and disoriented Jackie was found abandoned in jungles of Bijnor area, near the national Zim Corbett Park.  

Expert in baby rearing Dr Singh and other doctors in the hospital Dr UC Srivastava and Surgeon Nasir regularly monitor babies’ health.   

Day is not far behind when these cubs will join company of majestic looking full grown adults in huge enclosures. 

Tigers’ enclosure is overflowing with population. As many as eleven tigers are there including four cubs which were born here last month.[sb2]   Enclosures are so packed and full that  white tiger Love has been shifted to a big cage in hospital. Uneasiness is writ large on its face despite sumptuous and adequate supply of meat.

Mighty Tiger Prashant in company of Tigress Trusha had given birth to four lovely cubs on April 7 this year. They are being monitored by hidden close circuit cameras.  White tigress babies are being breastfed by Lioness .

A baby lion Soondri  which was not breastfed by Mother Lioness Nandini as the cub was under weight  is also gaining weight with every passing day .Lions  generally dump cub and don’t induct it in Lions pride if baby is  not strong enough to keep Pride of King of jungles on attaining adulthood.  Soondri  now  weighs Six Kilograms  after having regular imported diets- Kitten Milk replacer (KMR) and will soon join parents  - Ajoy and Nandini in moated enclosure.  She every day slurps two hundred grammes of chicken gravy too. Soondri is now being taken near to caged lioness Nandini. Mother smells baby and has now started licking her from behind bars.Three Jungle cats which were lying like orphans in Hapur near Meerut   are also being hand reared. Likewise, a jackal and a hyena are being reared after their recovery from various places.

Fox is known for its cleverness in jungle books for centuries. She lives to that reputation till date. She has given babies, but she is so possessive that Kids are hardly permitted to play around. The family is always on high alert and their toes to swiftly hide in boroughs.   

An Horned baby owl, perching in a cage, is thankful of being saved in nick of time. A stranger saw this baby groping for safety at road side during day time.   Disoriented and weak Baby owl was given pieces of green pea from a  long forceps. It mistook as Mother’s beak and gulped grains. Water was supplied to him from a syringe. One spotted owl is also being hand reared.  

If four legged calves are given adequate attention, eggs laid by silver partridges are being given required warmness for hatching in corner of the Hospital where entry of visitors is banned. These eggs are kept in incubators.

Red jungle fowl, golden pheasant also knowns as Chinese pheasant and lady Amherst pheasant are also being handled with special care. Their eggs are in incubators.  Birds enclosure / Chinese pheasant shots etc

For Director Zoo Deepak Kumar and his team members it is a celebration time as well planning phase  to fetch rare and endangered species here as star attractions  .Green Romantic environs in erstwhile forests, pave way for amorous overtures in enclosures.

This Visual News story is produced by Eminent Journalist Neeraj Bajpai who is also a writer, blogger, cartoonist and photographer.

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