[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 26 Mar: An adult female Himalayan serow was brought to the Itanagar Zoo on Tuesday from Kimin in Papum Pare district. The serow was transported by a team comprising Dr. Sorang Tadap, a zoo veterinarian at the Biological Park Itanagar, along with three staff members.
In 2024, the serow was rescued by Ngurang Yapa, a local resident, from a forest near Kimin town, and since then, her family had been raising it at their home. However, as the animal grew, they found it difficult to handle, and they contacted forest department officials to have it transferred to the Itanagar Zoo.
Dr. Tadap had been monitoring the health status and transfer of the serow to the zoo for the past couple of months after Ngurang Yapa reached out to him. Speaking with this daily, Dr. Tadap informed that the animal is healthy and will be kept in the zoo for life.
“The serow was cared for by the family for a year and a half. Later, they handed it over to the local forest department officials. The animal is dependent on humans and therefore cannot be released back into the wild,” he said.
Further, Dr. Tadap informed that the Himalayan serow, a subspecies of the mainland serow, is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is currently classified as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
“While the serow is very healthy, it will be kept under quarantine as per the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) protocol to ensure its well-being and prevent any potential health risks to other zoo inhabitants,” said Dr. Tadap.
He also mentioned that the rescue of the serow was made possible after obtaining permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, government of Arunachal Pradesh, with support from the Itanagar Zoo authority and DFO Banderdewa.
