Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked for a pair of greater one-horned rhinoceros from her Assamese counterpart Tarun Gogoi for the Vandaloor Zoological Park outside Chennai.
In her letter, Ms Jayalalithaa recalls the arrival of a rhino in the zoo in 1985 but the animal had died three years later after which the species wasn't replaced.
She adds, "Considering the number of visitors to the zoo and the popularity of the India rhinoceros it would be very fitting if Vandaloor Zoo could once again have these animals in our collection."
However, in exchange she says "We can give a pair of Indian Gaur (bison) - one of our flagship species - for Assam."
The Zoological Park is India's largest and one of the largest in South East Asia. The park has a collection of 1400 animals belonging to 143 species. More than two million people visit the zoo every year.