Delhi zoo plans to add four antelopes

Delhi's National Zoological Park plans to bring four-horned antelopes from Chhattisgarh under the animal exchange programme, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

- Aheli Das

The work of drawing up a proposal in this regard is underway, and the exchange will likely take place by the end of this year, the officials said. Found in hilly terrains of India and Nepal, four-horned antelopes are one of the smallest Asian bovids. As the name suggests, these antelopes have four horns but only in males. They are classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List with an estimated population of 10,000, according to its 2001 data.

At present, the zoo houses one doe (female antelope). To be sure, under the animal exchange programme, an exchange does not necessarily need to happen. At times, zoos act as the donor party and the other as the recipient.