Shiva is headed for the Bhagvan Disra Biological Park in Ranchi where he is expected to mate with a 27-year-old female rhinoceros named Kanchi.
A handful of Jijamata Udyan (Byculla Zoo) officials gathered around the rhino enclosure at 3pm on Saturday. Shiva — Mumbai’s only rhinoceros — was to be transferred on to the waiting truck that would transport him to Ranchi.
However, even after three hours of coaxing and egging on, Shiva refused to board his transport for the long drive.
Shiva is headed for the Bhagvan Disra Biological Park in Ranchi where he is expected to mate with a 27-year-old female rhinoceros named Kanchi.
He will cover the 2,200km trip in seven days. The veterinarian looking after Shiva, Dr Sanjay Tripathi, explains, “Shiva has been quite a proactive animal.
On Friday morning, his aggressive behaviour was probably because of the commotion, but through the day he started relaxing. He probably will be aggressive during the trip, but we’re sure he will adjust comfortably to his new surroundings.”
Shiva was the first and only rhino at Byculla zoo and officials say that his departure will be a tragic loss for them. Dr Paranjpaye, superintendent of the zoo says, “Shiva has been with us since he was a six-year-old baby. Today he is almost 28. Before he was brought to Byculla zoo, Shiva belonged to the Assam state zoo.”
Shiva’s caretaker at Byculla zoo, Ramesh Pawar has known the rhino since he was nine years old. He says that the rhino had been the centre of attraction at the zoo and visitors would definitely miss seeing him.
“One doesn’t see a rhino too often, and a huge one like Shiva is a rare sight. The staff and visitors will definitely miss Shiva.”
Even though the rhino will be travelling in an open truck during the monsoons, zoo authorities say that since the animal prefers living in water, they aren’t worrying about the open truck.
A PIL filed by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals resulted in the Mumbai High Court ruling on July 18, 2005, that Shiva be shifted to a wildlife reserve within a year. The search for a perfect location for him delayed his shifting out of city’s zoo facility for over two years.
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