Caretakers at Zoo Narrate Their ‘Beyond Love’ Emotional Chord With Inmates
Hyderabad: They are the ‘visible invisible’ when visitors go to admire animals at the Nehru Zoological Park, caretakers who have spent a lifetime caring for the inmates as if they were their own children.
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 told Deccan Chronicle, explaining a side that is rarely seen outside the zoo world.
During their mating season, Prabhakar becomes extra cautious and keeps a close watch on subtle changes in colour 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.
Mohammed Ayub Kausar, 50, has spent more than half his life tending to animals. Of them, 14 years went to caring for tigers, leopards, and jaguars. He says he has developed an extraordinary connection with the animals under his care.
Ayub said that he has taken care of 50 tiger cubs and narrated how the time spent in looking after the big cats helped him in learning about how each animal behaved.
“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 issue was resolved.
Ayub also recounted how the animals missed him when he was away. He recalled an instance when he had travelled out of the 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 told Deccan Chronicle.
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 a chicken, a 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 a meat portion.
There are four male 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 explained.
Another long-timer at the zoo, Devendra, now looks after the rhinos of which the zoo has five: three-year-old Nanda, 11-year-old Sai Vijay and 18-year-old Suraj, and the females 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 recalled, with pride.
Just like any other animal, 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 said.
Pullepaka Buchanna, who has cared for giraffes for over seven years, recalled his experience with Sunny, an eight-year-old giraffe he raised since the time it was aged two when brought to the zoo.
“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.
