The test is over. Googled the answers. My score is falling short of projected cut-off, not by much, but enough to bury the chances of me getting lucky.
Done my analysis. Identified my shortcomings. Drawn up plans for next attempt & aiming to meet UPSC-2019 better prepared. Another year of grinding...
But before that something i've been looking forward to, India's oldest zoo. The Alipore Zoological Garden is being renovated & new enclosures built.
Some of the enclosures are more then 100 years old. I hadn't been there in years & i just had to see the place one last time before the older structures are demolished.
The highest recoded attendance till date was on January 1, 2018 with 110,000 visitors. Thus i had to make sure i avoid the mob, or the animals don't come out of their shelters (standard practice here is for about 1/4 of the enclosure to be private space). So, i went on a weekday with the monsoon pouring down cats & dogs. The enclosures sure looked beautiful & lush but it meant some prized new arrivals like the Mouse deers were barely visible.
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Chowsingha, the Indian four horned antelope.
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Barking Deer.
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Swamp Deer.
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Nilgai or blue-bull female. The male was somewhere behind the bushes.
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Cheetal or spotted deer, much larger up close than they look in photos. This facility is also used as a breeding centre for them. If i remember correctly, these animals have cousins that have been released in Sundarbans.
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In the reptile house; Russell's Viper.
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Burmese Python. (The sign says "No photography" so i decided to stop)
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My favourite & Bengals state animal, Fishing cats.
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Jungle cat.
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The new leopard enclosure. He's on that tree. Eyes could see him but camera couldn't.
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Old Aviary. Hexagonal structure with 6 triangular cages. Peacock & Saras crane in the back.
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The one in last image.
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Peafowl's housing.
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New aviary.
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At this point the rain got harder. I stood under the shed infront of the leopard enclosure. He came out & started pacing in the downpour.
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Rhino (female). She has a calf who was behind the privacy wall. Her horn had been shaven for safety.
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Tigress Rani didn't come out of her cavern.
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New enclosure for tigers, presently houses a mating pair of a regular coloured female & this male (that's him in post
#1,600 in Tiger Extinction thread back in his old cage).
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Most of the old cages are gone. Only 3-4 remain, with two animals still living there. This female...
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...& this ex-maneater from Sundarban (In third video of post
#1,600). Unlike previous times i was taking a note of their physique this once.
He is exactly the similar to the mainland tigress in both size & stature, bigger head though. Shouldn't weigh very different.
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It wasn't a day to be sitting in the water. It was damp & raining with quite a nip in the air. Helps him relive memories, i guess...
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