Mysore/Mysuru: Shankara, the two-and-a-half-year-old male giraffe at city’s Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, popularly known as Mysuru Zoo, has been sent to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Zoological Park popular as Hampi Zoo at Kamalapura in Hospet, Vijayanagara district on Wednesday.

Shankara, which is 13.5 ft. tall, born to Bharatha and Lakshmi on July 12, 2021, was successfully transported in a large cage mounted on a special vehicle. The giraffe began his journey at about 8 am on Wednesday (Jan. 17) and reached Kamalapura Zoo at about 6 pm after travelling about 424 kms, where he joined a female giraffe.

Shankara was accompanied by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Zoological Park Executive Director Ravikumar, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Veterinary Advisor Dr. K.V. Madan, animal keepers and staff. Shankara is the sixth giraffe to be spared to other zoos. In 2018, Gowri was sent to Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru, Jaya Chamaraja was sent to Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati in 2019, Yaduveer was spared to Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru in 2020, Adyaveer and Balaji were sent to Singapore Zoological Gardens at Singapore in 2021 and now (2024), Shankara is spared to Hampi Zoo.

Meanwhile, Mysuru Zoo Executive Director D. Mahesh Kumar has thanked the Police Department for providing Highway Traffic regulation service and for CESC for managing overhead power cables during transportation as transportation of animals, especially tall animals like giraffe poses a great challenge.