The first animal exchange of 2018 with the century-old Mysuru zoo is said to be distinctive with the animals and birds under exchange from Assam Zoo and Shillong Zoo journeying to Mysuru from the distant Guwahati via train.

This is perhaps for the first time in decades that the animals and birds are being transported by train. Whenever animal exchanges happen between Indian zoos, they are usually brought by road or airlifted. However, the animals from the North-East are being transported in a cargo-carrying coach, which is attached to a passenger train that left Guwahati station on February 6 and expected to reach Mysuru on Thursday (February 8).

One of the reasons cited for transporting the animals by train was to avoid injuries while ferrying them by road. “The initial plan was to airlift them to Mysuru from Guwahati. Unable to get the cargo plane, we chose to bring them by train,” said C. Ravishankar, Zoo Director.