Bhubaneswar: The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has approved an animal exchange programme between Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) and Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Jharkhand.

Under this programme, the NZP, located in the capital city here, will provide a white tigress, two pairs of mouse deer, two pairs of common palm civet, a pair of Indian fox, a pair of grey pelican, 10 pairs of night heron and 10 pairs of black-headed ibis to Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park.

In return, the NZP will get two tigresses—one melanistic and another normal but carrier of pseudo-melanism gene—, four striped hyena (three male and one female), five pairs of Indian porcupine and five nilgais (two male and three female) from Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi.

The exchange programme will enhance NZP’s animal collection by introducing new bloodlines for the Royal Bengal Tiger, striped hyena, Indian porcupine, and nilgai, said the zoo authorities today.

The animal exchange programme is scheduled to take place within July 9 and 14, they added.