Dravid’s Wild Side

Rahul Dravid recently adopted two African hunting cheetahs, in the names of his children.

Joining the list of illustrious Indian cricketers who have adopted animals in Mysore’s Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Rahul Dravid recently adopted two African hunting cheetahs, in the names of his children. Brinda and Tejas, the two cheetahs, were brought in from Leipzig Zoo in Germany on an exchange programme. Their adoption, for Rs 50,000 every year, has brought cheer to the park, which recently lost three African hunting cheetahs within a month to infections. The zoo also has a breeding programme, and Brinda gave birth to three cubs last year. Paying for the upkeep of zoo animals is not new to Dravid, who has also adopted animals at Bannerghatta Biological Park on the outskirts of Bangalore. Other cricketers who have adopted animals at the Mysore park include Anil Kumble, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath. Kumble, an avid wildlife photographer and the current deputy chairman of the Karnataka Wildlife Board, has adopted a giraffe calf and an Asiatic lion. Dhoni, who supports India’s ‘Save the Tiger’ campaign, and Zaheer have adopted a Royal Bengal tiger each. And Srinath has adopted a jaguar. Zoo officials are thrilled. They feel adoptions by celebrities spread awareness. In 2011-12, apart from cricketers, 286 other individuals made the effort to adopt animals at the zoo.

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Anil Budur Lulla