Caretakers at zoo narrate their ‘beyond love’ emotional chord with inmates
Hyderabad: The Nehru Zoological Park, popularly known as zoo, houses a wide range of animal and bird species. For all practical purposes, it also is the second home for the caretakers, who keep the inmates fit and healthy with their painstaking efforts.
Among them, A. Prabhakar, 53, a senior reptile keeper, has spent over 32 years caring for snakes. His favourites are the two nine-foot long king cobras that are among the 30 snake species in the zoo. The king cobras usually feed on other snakes, especially rat snakes.
“It's not just about feeding them. It's about understanding their behaviour, movements, moods, and the way they silently communicate,” he says.
During their mating season, Prabhakar becomes extra cautious and keeps a close watch on subtle changes in color and behaviour that indicate shifts in the snakes’ temperament. Long sticks are used to carefully guide and manage them to ensure that both the reptiles and their keepers remain safe.
Another keeper, Mohammed Ayub Kausar, 50, spent more than half his life tending to animals. Of them, 14 years were spent on looking after tigers, leopards, and jaguars. Incidentally, he has developed an extraordinary connection with the animals under his care.
Ayub recalls that he has so far taken care of 50 tiger cubs and how the time spent in looking after the big cats helps him in learning about how each animal behaves.
“Sometimes, an animal does something different, something unusual, and it makes you realise that they are not just following a routine,” he said, recounting a peculiar incident when one of the tigers ate a shawl mistakenly left behind by a senior staff member.
The tiger, which had become accustomed to the scent, ingested the cloth, which caused some distress. It was an anxious wait for Ayub and his colleagues till the tiger was free of the shawl.
Ayub also recounts his emotional bond with animals, and how they miss him when he's away. He recalls an instance when he was out of state for a few weeks, and the animals, particularly a tiger named Vinay, refused to eat for several days.
“They miss you, and they remember. Even if we’re not around, the animals retain that connection,” Ayub says.
R. Papayya looks after a section of tigers, including Asha, an 11-year-old tigress who has mothered three cubs. He pointed out that typically each tiger gets one chicken, half litre of milk, two raw eggs and approximately eight kg of beef every day. Friday’s are ‘fasting’ days for the tigers and they end up getting only meat portion.
There are four male tigers in the zoo, including two-year-old Shiva, 11-year-old Dharma, four-year-old Shriharshan and five-year-old Santosh. Among the females, Asha and Divyani are both 11 years old, while C2 is three years old and Parvati is 21 months old. “It's not just a job; it's a connection,” he explains.
Another long timer at the zoo is Devendra, who now looks after the rhinos. There are five rhinos. The males are three-year-old Nanda, 11-year-old Sai Vijay and 18-year-old Suraj, while the females are 16-year-old Saraswati and one-year-old Prema.
Earlier, he was the caretaker of 57 crocodiles – muggers, gharials, caimans and saltwater. Among these was a mugger crocodile named Gautam, which was once paralysed and needed special care for around three years.
“He couldn't move, but I didn't give up. Slowly, he started walking again,” Devendra shares with pride.Just like any other animal, even crocodiles have their quirks. Some are aggressive, some shy, and some others stubborn.
“We have to be both a mother and a father to them. When they misbehave, we scold them. When they are hurt, we care for them. It's a bond that's hard to describe; it's beyond love,” he says.
Pullepaka Buchanna, who has cared for giraffes for over seven years, fondly recalls his experience with Sunny, an eight-year-old giraffe he raised since the time it was aged two years.
“You have to stay calm around them. If you're angry or impatient, then they pick up on it and walk away,” points out Buchanna.
“In October, we lost Tsunami Basant, a 20-year-old male giraffe. It was heartbreaking. Losing Tsunami was sad, but he was aged and had been unwell. Both Sunny and Tsunami came here through an animal exchange programme,” Buchanna said.
