The Himalayan Nature Park in Kufri, 14 km from the main town, now boasts of the vibrant presence of blue sheep and golden and silver pheasants. Under the wildlife exchange programme, 21 wild animals have been brought to Kufri from Padmaja Naidu Zoo, Darjeeling.

Lady Amherst’s pheasant (chrysolophus amherstiae) will be seen for the first time at the zoo. This bird is found in southwestern China and northern Burma.

Other animals include three blue sheep that are found in the high Himalayas, four golden pheasants, also known as the Chinese pheasants, and two pairs of silver pheasants. The silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland southeast Asia and eastern and southern China and three pairs of red jungle fowl.

A team led by veterinarians from the forest department led by Rohit Sharma visited Darjeeling to ensure their safe transportation. The team left for Darjeeling on November 19 and returned to the zoo on November 26.

“They are currently kept in quarantine to acclimate them to their new environment. Soon, they will be introduced to their designated enclosures,” deputy conservator of wildlife, forest division, Shimla, N Ravi Shankar said.

He said that 21 wild animals have been brought from the Padmaja Naidu Zoo to increase the collection of animals and birds in the Kufri Nature Park.

In a reciprocal gesture, the Himachal wildlife department has contributed to the exchange by sending three Himalayan gorals, six cheer pheasants, four kalij pheasants, and six red jungle fowl to Darjeeling. This collaboration under the Wildlife Regulation Programme aims at enriching the biodiversity of both regions.

Plans are afoot to bring a pair of snow leopards from Darjeeling.

As per the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the leopards will be quarantined for one month before being put on display in March for visitors.

The snow leopard has been declared a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he said, adding that it is found in 12 countries.

Snow leopards are found only in five states, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, he added.

The CZA had last year approved a proposal to bring the felines to the Kufri zoo. A pair of snow leopards, Subhash and Sapna, were kept in an enclosure in Kufri zoo 16 years ago.

Female leopard Sapna died in 2007, subsequently, the male leopard Subhash was relocated to Darjeeling zoo for breeding in 2012.