World Sparrow Day celebrated at Nehru Zoological Park

Bahadurpura: With an aim to increase awareness about and protecting the sparrow, the World Sparrow Day was celebrated at Nehru Zoological Park in Bahadurpura on Wednesday.

In this connection, about 50 eco-friendly nest boxes for sparrows were prepared with cardboard by the animal keepers from 5 different states (Telangana , Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) and the zoo visitors.

They were later installed in the on zoo premises and a special film on sparrows was also screened at the Bio-scope Hall, depicting the extinction of house sparrow's from our neighborhood.

On day 3 of 5-day workshop for zoo keepers on specialised theme-based training programme, Dr Manoharan, wildlife expert and one of the most experienced experts in elephant management from Coimbatore, gave a brief lecture on elephant and its significant role in the biological balance.

Later, all the animal keepers were taken to the elephant enclosure and briefed about the physiological functioning of the animal – how it can smell up to 5 km and is the only animal which has such a long nose (trunk) which consists of 1 lakh muscles.

It doesn't have sweat glands and in order to maintain its body cool it continuously makes movement of the ears and this characteristic helps the animal to be declared as a healthy one.

If the animal is not swinging the ears, then the animal is declared an unhealthy.

Elephant is the only species which can close its ear in a very tight manner in which not even a single ant can enter, nor can a single drop of water fall into it.

This animal does not have neck, though it has seven vertebrates in its neck which is similar in all the mammals.

To develop a good bond with the animal, the animal keeper should clean all the time and maintain hygiene of the body so that the animal realizes that the keeper is taking good care of it, Manoharan explained.

Later, in the afternoon session, Dr Tirupataiah, (Retd) PCCF / Director, Telangana Forest Academy, Dulapally, conducted team-building exercises and work life balance session.