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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Kangkan Kalita | TNN

Assam zoo awaits court nod to showcase exotic species

GUWAHATI: Over two dozen rescued exotic wildlife species, smuggled from Australia, South America and Malaysia through wet markets of Southeast Asia, may become a big attraction for visitors at Assam state zoo here after legal clearance.

The species, which include a primate, kangaroo and macaw, were heavily stressed when rescued by forest officials but sources in the forest department said they have almost fully recovered after prolonged treatment at the zoo. The seizures were made since 2020 and the last two consignments were caught in Hajo near Guwahati and in Karbi Anglong district.

"Even as the smuggled species have recovered and adapted to the local environment, we need legal clearance before these can be showcased before the visitors. The forest department cannot even release them in the wild without court orders," said a senior zoo official.

Officials said the state zoo, one of the prime tourist attractions in the city, needs prized items from which it can increase visitor revenue. "Except for one giraffe, a few hippopotamus and one binturong, we don't have many species that are endemic to countries outside Asia. No court order has come to rehabilitate the rescued animals that have arrived here since 2020. It's a very tricky situation because before 2020 we never tackled such seized wildlife that have foreign roots," an official said. The zoo authority is paying a significant amount of money to feed the exotic wildlife, for which they have to bring mealworms, super worms and dry fruits from Pune.

He said the seized species, under monitoring at the zoo, whose numbers have crossed 30, were stressed because of their journey in congested cages in vehicles. "There were ample reasons to believe that the seized consignments of wildlife came from Myanmar but Mizoram and Manipur were the transit routes," said another source, adding that the seizures indicate a growing trend of keeping them as pets in different parts of the country. "Northeast is only the transit route," he said.

The oldest consignment dates back to July 2020, from which the officials said a kangaroo, three exotic turtles, four blue macaw and two capuchin monkeys are still under the monitoring of the state zoo authority. Other species include a wallaby, numerous primates, a golden-headed lion tamarin (endemic to Brazil), macaws, among others. The officials said most of these are endemic to Indonesia, Malaysia, South America and Australia.

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