Bhubaneswar: In a renewed push to revive leopard breeding after decades of failure, Nandankanan Zoological Park here is set to bring four young leopards from Sakkarbaug Zoological Park in Junagadh, Gujarat, under an animal exchange programme approved by the Central Zoo Authority.The move is seen as a major step towards introducing a fresh gene pool and building a sustainable captive breeding programme for leopards at Nandankanan, where no leopard has been born since 1982. For more than 30 years, the zoo has not recorded a single successful leopard birth, making the initiative both urgent and significant.Zoo officials said at present, Nandankanan houses seven leopards — four males and three females. However, all of them are rescued or captured animals brought from different places, a factor that has limited the possibility of planned breeding. Zoo officials believe that the arrival of two male and two female leopards from Sakkarbaug will help overcome this long-standing challenge by infusing a new bloodline into the existing cats.“The exchange is expected to be completed by the end of this month. In return, Nandankanan will send an ostrich, three four-horned antelopes and three hog deer to Sakkarbaug Zoo,” zoo director Sanath Kumar said. Nandankanan has also strengthened its infrastructure to support better captive management and breeding of leopards.Zoo authorities hope that the combination of improved facilities and genetically suitable breeding animals would change the story for leopard conservation at Nandankanan. “The introduction of breeding leopards from Sakkarbaug will create the right conditions for successful pairing and reproduction,” Kumar added.
