First giraffe calf born in Guwahati Zoo named 'Parijat'

Guwahati: The first giraffe calf to be born in Guwahati zoo was named 'Parijat' on Saturday, with the name selected from hundreds of suggestions.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the name of the nearly two-month-old calf at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, known as the Guwahati Zoo, here.

"We had received about 350 names for the giraffe calf. The name 'Parijat' was chosen through a lottery," Sarma said.

The CM had called for suggestions through social media for naming the calf after it was born in the zoo last month.

The female calf is the first giraffe to be born in the state zoo. It was born to two giraffes that were brought here from other zoos of the country under animal exchange programmes at different points of time.

Sarma, who also fed the calf during his visit, said it was doing well.

"The calf was rejected by its mother after birth. She refused to feed it. We called in Tushar Kulkarni, an expert in this field from Mumbai. Under his guidance, our team here has taken good care of the calf and it is completely healthy," he said.

The CM said the government has plans for developing the Guwahati zoo into one of the best in the country.

"A proposal of Rs 350 crore has been submitted to the Finance department. When it gives the green signal, we will go ahead with the plan," he said.

Sarma also said more animals are being put for public viewing, including two orangutans which were rescued from smugglers recently.

He also said work on two open zoos in Silchar and Dibrugarh are in the preliminary stage, with tenders being called for it.