Mangaluru: Under an animal exchange programme, authorities of Pilikula Biological Park added a new attraction to the park: Kaveri, a female hippopotamus, aged about 10.

This development comes as the Central Zoo Authority extended the park’s license till 2020. Sources said that the Authority evaluated the park recently as among the major zoos in the country. It is said that Pilikula Biological Park at present has about 1,200 animals and birds.

Kaveri arrived at the park on Thursday from Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru. Jayaprakash Bhandary, Director of the park informed that the lifespan of hippos was between 40 and 50 years.

He added that a pair of hippos, a male and a female, would be brought to the park within a week from Bannerghatta, taking the number of hippos to three. Further, the park would exchange a male tiger with a tigress from Bannerghatta and will also send three barking deer, four palm civet and four golden jackals.

Bhandary added that Pilikula was likely to welcome a white tiger from Surat in a few months; also an enclosure for an Asiatic Lion sponsored by Indian Oil Corporation was being prepared at the park.