The first species of Australian mammals will settle in the Vitebsk Zoo

October 4, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The first type of Australian mammals will settle in the Vitebsk Zoo in a couple of weeks, the director of the Vitebsk Zoo, Irina Orlova, told a BELTA correspondent. The zoo purchased a pair of Bennett's wallabies from the Kaliningrad Zoo with its own funds. This species of small herbivorous kangaroos inhabits Australian savannas and is found in both plains and mountains. Their distinctive feature is very short forelimbs and a long, strong tail. They move by leaps, sometimes jumping up to ten meters. The marsupials will be delivered to Vitebsk in the same way that the lion Mark was delivered two years ago from the same zoo: first by plane from Kaliningrad to Minsk, and then by car to their new home. As Irina Orlova noted, the Vitebsk Zoo (the northernmost in Belarus) is home to llamas and coatis from South America, nilgai antelopes native to Asia, African lions, and, of course, European species: elk and bears. At the same time, the diversity of animals continues to expand. Already next spring, a camel from the Nizhny Novgorod Zoo will arrive here, and negotiations are underway for the acquisition and exchange of other animals. Sponsors and local residents provide great assistance in acquiring animals for the zoo by making voluntary donations to the zoo's account. Last year alone, thanks to benefactors, the collection was replenished with seven species of mammals, including coatis, llamas, nilgai antelopes, bears, and European bison. The Vitebsk Zoological Park was founded on March 30, 1992, on the basis of a zoo theater that existed in the city. Currently, over 70 species of animals, more than 1,000 individuals, are kept here on an area of 1.3 hectares. -0-