Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park is buzzing with life as Central Zoo Authority’s exchange programme facilitates new arrivals like African lions from Saudi Arabia, giraffes, leopards, white tigers, pelicans et al
On a recent morning at the Hyderabad Nehru Zoological Park, the usually familiar roar of the Bengal tiger was joined by a medley of new sounds: the call of a rosy pelican, the cry of a macaw, the soft grunt of a giraffe stretching its long neck into the Deccan sky. The enclosures oozed out fresh energy.
Visitors, young and old, moved from one exhibit to another with a mix of surprise and delight. It was not just another day at the zoo, but the visible result of a carefully planned national initiative, the Animal Exchange Programme, that has turned Hyderabad’s zoo into a menagerie of species from India and abroad.
Every corner of India shelters creatures uniquely adapted to its climate, forests, and temperatures. Some thrive in the Himalayan cold, others in the lush forests of Odisha, still others in the dry plains of Rajasthan. But zoos, unlike wild habitats, offer the chance to bring these animals into one shared space, allowing people across the country to marvel at wildlife they might otherwise never see.
That is the guiding principle behind the animal exchange scheme. Hyderabad Zoo sends animals it has successfully bred — such as white tigers, deer, and pelicans — to other parks. In return, it receives rare species from across India and even overseas. To ensure survival, the animals are housed in carefully controlled environments. Coolers hum in summer, shaded shelters mimic native forests, and veterinary staff ensure the creatures adapt well to their new home.
309 new animals since 2024
The programme is overseen by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in Delhi, which approves every exchange. The idea is not just to move animals around but to spread biodiversity across regions, letting visitors in every part of the country witness rare wildlife.
White tiger
Thanks to the scheme, Hyderabad Zoo is currently home to an impressive range of animals: Bengal tigers, African lions, leopards, wild dogs, giraffes, white tigers, Himalayan black bears, Burmese pythons, yellow anacondas, blackbuck, chinkara, sambar deer, barking deer, and a host of exotic birds from pelicans to macaws.
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Avinash and Priyanka, students of Delhi Public School, put it simply: “The animals brought from India and abroad are fascinating to us. We’ve never seen such variety before.” Their words echo across the grounds, where families and tourists linger longer than usual before each enclosure.
Since 2024, Hyderabad has welcomed 309 animals under the programme. They came from a remarkable spread of zoos: Rohtak (Haryana), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Hanmakonda (Telangana), Dhauladhar Nature Park in Himachal Pradesh, Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati, Darjeeling’s Himalayan Zoo, Bhubaneswar’s Nandankanan Zoo, Naya Raipur’s Nandanvan Zoo Safari in Chhattisgarh, Pinjore’s Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in Haryana, Bannerghatta Biological Park in Karnataka, Rangapahar Zoo in Nagaland, Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai, Jijamata Udyan in Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo in Kerala, and Tata Steel Zoological Park in Jamshedpur.
Each arrival has not just added to numbers but transformed the zoo’s atmosphere. “The rare animals arriving from other zoos have sparked unexpected enthusiasm among visitors. And we’ve already proposed bringing even more species in the near future,” says zoo curator Vasantha.
Who came, who went
Among the new arrivals are African lions from Saudi Arabia, Bengal tigers, leopards, white tigers, giraffes, deer of many kinds, bison, pelicans, macaws, wild dogs, and snakes both native and exotic. But Hyderabad is not just a recipient; it is also a donor. About 268 animals are being prepared for transfer to other zoos. The list includes mouse deer, white and Bengal tigers, sambar, jungle cats, star tortoises, pelicans, and cobras. Once the CZA grants clearance, these animals will embark on their journeys to enrich zoos elsewhere.
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One of the zoo’s proudest stories dates back to 2012, when the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia visited Hyderabad Zoo. Impressed by the facility, he gifted a pair of African lions. Over 13 years, they have bred and multiplied. From two, they are now a family of eight, perhaps the zoo’s most celebrated residents. “They have become a star attraction,” says Sunil S. Hiremath, Director of the Telangana Zoo Authority. On weekends, long queues form near their enclosure, the lions lounging with regal calm, exuding a legacy of international friendship.
Bengal tiger
The idea of moving animals across continents is not new. In 2022, India reintroduced the cheetah — extinct in the country since the mid-20th century — by flying in 20 of them from Namibia and South Africa to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself released them on his 72nd birthday, watched by scientists, veterinarians, and millions of citizens on television. The episode showed how animal exchange, when done responsibly, can rewrite a nation’s ecological history.
The science of moving animals
Transporting wild animals is no small task. In India, most are moved by road in ventilated truck containers. Some travel by rail in special coaches, with railway permissions. From abroad, they fly in cargo aircraft. “Each truck moves at just 30 kilometres an hour,” explains Deputy Director Abdul Hakeem. “We stop every five hours to give food, water, and rest. Vets and keepers follow in accompanying vehicles, constantly checking their health.”
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When animals arrive, they are gently lowered by cranes, then placed in quarantine for a month. Only after veterinarians are certain of their well-being are they moved into public enclosures. “We recently brought giraffes from Kolkata,” Hakeem adds, listing also Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Naya Raipur, and Thiruvananthapuram as sources.
Today, Hyderabad Zoo feels renewed. Visitors pour in to see its 309 new residents. The animals bring not just colour and variety but also lessons in care, conservation, and cooperation. As evening falls and the lions stretch under a slowly reddening sky, one realises that a zoo is more than a place to watch animals. It is a stage where nations, regions, and people come together, exchanging not just creatures but care, responsibility, and wonder.
