It's lonely out there for animals in Delhi Zoo

Everyone needs a companion. But someone needs to tell that to the Delhi Zoo. Thanks to lack of initiative by the zoo authorities and a failure to coordinate between the zoos in India, many prized animals have been left to pass their time alone here.

According to a senior zoo official, potential mates for animals is secured through a zoo exchange programme, attended by directors of the zoos across the country. "There are 198 zoos in the country and all zoo directors come together, following which the animals which are in surplus are exchanged between the zoos," said a Zoo official.

However, the lack of care and concern has left many animals alone. Shankar, an African elephant at the Delhi Zoo, has been alone for many years now since the death of his partner Bombai.

The African elephant couple was a gift to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma by the Zimbabwe government and they came to India in 1998. But it's now more than 12 years since Bombai, named after the wife of Zimbabwe's ambassador, died.

Several such animals have been alone for many years now and searching for a mate to breed. This is especially so among the wilder animals. The Delhi Zoo has a male panther but zoo authorities do not have a female partner for him. Similarly, there is a male Jaguar but not a female one. Same is the case with a female hyena, who prowls around alone in her wide space.

But perhaps the most touching story is that of Anju and Manju. This mother-daughter rhino duo, keep running in the shade and playing. Both of them have been in the Delhi Zoo since birth but have never been provided with a mate since then.

Zoo officials say that zoo diplomacy needs to be carried out but this requires the intervention of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Carried out in the past, zoo diplomacy ensured Indian visiting dignitaries like the Prime Minister, President and other heads of state bring back animals who were then used as potential mates. The present government could once again look into this practice, they said.

"In the past there has been a trend of gifting animals between countries. The higher authorities have to work on this to get the animals from abroad. Currently this practice has not been very prevalent," a zoo official said.