The tranquillity of a lazy afternoon at the Kankaria Zoo is shattered by the screeches of monkeys. Visitors rush to the spot, only to witness some 'monkey business' in its real sense.
The tranquillity of a lazy afternoon at the Kankaria Zoo is shattered by the screeches of monkeys. Visitors rush to the spot, only to witness some 'monkey business' in its real sense. The reason for the primates' restlessness is unclear, and so everyone begins to draw their own conclusions. Some say the fight is over food, a few infer that the heat is taking its toll on the poor creatures, while others deduce that the monkeys are just keeping themselves busy.
The truth, however, is a little different. "This is the mating season for these animals, and the males fight with one another to get the females to mate with them", informed Dr. RK Sahu, superintendent at the Kankaria Zoo.
"We often have to take steps to ensure animal safety. For example, we cannot keep two females and one male in one cage. There have been cases where the male mates with one of the females and when she delivers, the other one just destroys the newborns out of jealousy", he informs. It does not end here. Keeping two males and one female together is even more dangerous, as the two would fight for supremacy to 'get' the female.
Other things are to be kept in mind as well, such as seasonal changes. Summer causes animal behaviour to change quite a bit. Dr. Sahu informs that the food consumption of lions, bears and tigers decreases with the rise in temperature. Among elephants, tigers and bears, the water intake increases and hippopotamuses, tigers and bears love to go into the water bodies in their respective enclosures.
"We have to provide the monkeys and hanumans with more and more watery fruits like cucumber, watermelon or mango at this time of the year", Sahu said, pointing out that there is a strange change in the behaviour among monkeys.
The fight among the monkeys might have been for a brief while, but it delighted those who gathered at the spot. "Monkeys are very common in India, but we still keep them here. The reason is simple: People enjoy watching them screech and create all sorts of nuisance," smiles Dr Sahu.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}