Chennai: In the last edition of News Today’s Zoo Tales, featuring Arignar Anna Zoological Park, a.k.a. Vandalur zoo, we will have a sneak peak into the bird enclosures that are spread across the zoo.
Zoo veterinarian K Sridhar said they have a variety of bird species, including exotic, terrestrial, water birds and predators.
As soon as one enters the zoo, the bird enclosures right next to the chimpanzees cages capture the attention of the visitors.
The bird enclosures that begin with peacock, continue till the sulphur-crested cockatoo. All these enclosures are highly reinforced to make sure that no predators can enter the cages and harm the birds. Ample space is provided for these birds to fly around and exercise their wings.
If you think the bird enclosure ends there, you are wrong as next comes the terrestrial birds where species like emu are housed. The terrestrial birds are mostly larger than the others and their enclosure is also vast and they have dens where they can rest.
While this set-up is attractive on the entry side, there is also an aquatic birds enclosure, raptors and free bird park located at the exit. These are very huge enclosures and attract a lot of visitors as it has a unique set-up and interest children. The aquatic enclosure gives the feel of watching these birds in their natural habitat.
“Every bird is kept in a different enclosure and a visitor needs ample patience to make sure that s/he visits all the species. Every bird has a unique nature and behaviour and the zoo helps in knowing about their behaviour,” said Pa Kalaignan, another veterinarian.
He further said most of the birds in the zoo were either inbred or got in exchange.
“The enclosures are made in such a way that they have close resemblance to their natural habitat as much as possible. The terrestrial birds are kept on the ground and do not have high-rise fence as they cannot fly. On the other hand, there are the raptors that are kept in separate cages and they are fed meat,” he said.
He further said the water birds have three different enclosures and there are many birds that fill the enclosure.
“Only compatible birds are put together in an enclosure. The water birds are fed fish every day which is purchased from outside. The pH level in the water of the aquatic bird enclosure is checked on a regular basis and changed only if needed,” he said.
Kalaignan further said to tackle the summer heat, sprinkling of water has been arranged in enclosures housing ostrich and terrestrial birds,
“Shade nets cutting off sunlight, have been provided for aviaries and ostrich which helps them maintain their body temperature and metabolism,” he added.
FEEDING HABITS
Birds are fed based on their type. Every day, around 250 kg fish, vegetables and greens are procured to feed the birds.
SPECIES COUNT
As on 31 March 2017, there were 91 species and 1,433 birds in the Vandalur zoo.
Images clicked by our lensman C Santhosh.