The female calf is the first giraffe to be born in the state zoo
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday paid a visit to the Guwahati Zoo and fed milk to the first giraffe calf born there. Pictures and videos of Mr Sarma feeding the calf from a bottle have surfaced on social media. During his visit, he also announced the name of the nearly two-month-old calf at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden. CM Himanta Sarma said, "We received nearly 350 name suggestions for the giraffe calf. Through a lottery, we chose the name, 'Parijat'."
''While Parijat, the giraffe, has been basking in publicity (rightly so), Assam State Zoo is also among the few zoos in the country to house Orangutans. Paid a courtesy call to Panoi and Jonki, our resident,'' he wrote.
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During his visit, CM Sarma said it was doing well. The newborn giraffe is being provided 7.5 litres of milk daily.
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Notably, the chief minister 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 in time.
"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," the CM said. He further added that the government has plans to develop 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.
Mr Sarma also said more animals are being put up for public viewing, including two orangutans that were rescued from smugglers recently.