Gorewada Zoo to Get African Grey Parrots in Exchange for Two Tigers
Nagpur, India: Gorewada Zoological Park in Nagpur will soon have African Grey parrots as a new attraction. The park, managed by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), is exchanging two tigers with Tata Steel Zoological Park in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, to bring in the parrots.
Zoo director Shatanik Bhagwat confirmed that the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has approved the exchange. The tigers will be sent to Jamshedpur first, and the African Grey parrots will be displayed once they arrive. The parrots will be part of the zoo’s new "Walking Trail" attraction, set to open by June.
The Gorewada Rescue Centre is currently overcrowded with rescued tigers and leopards, increasing the need for relocation. The zoo has 16 tigers, out of which two will be moved to Jamshedpur.
The zoo will also replace two safari tigers, Lee and Rajkumar, with a new pair. Lee, a 15-year-old female, was brought from Maharajbagh Zoo in 2017, and Rajkumar, a 9-year-old male, was rescued from Bhandara the same year. A new male and female tiger have been selected to take their place in the enclosure by the end of the month.
Gorewada has done animal exchanges before to help maintain genetic diversity among zoo animals. In the past, the park received blackbucks, spotted deer, wolves, hyenas, and a sloth bear in exchange for tigers and leopards.
African Grey parrots are highly intelligent birds known for their ability to mimic human speech. They are a protected species in Africa and are expected to be a major attraction at the zoo.
