On October 4, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The first species of Australian mammals will settle in the Vitebsk Zoo in a couple of weeks, Irina Orlova, Director of the Vitebsk Zoo, told a BELTA correspondent. The zoo has purchased a pair of Bennett's wallabies from the Kaliningrad Zoo using 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 metres. The marsupials will be delivered to Vitebsk in the same way as 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 from Asia, African lions, and, of course, European species such as elk and bears. The diversity of animals continues to expand. As early as next spring, a camel from the Nizhny Novgorod Zoo will arrive here, and negotiations are underway for the acquisition and exchange of other animals. The zoo receives significant assistance in acquiring animals from sponsors and local residents who make 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 former animal theatre in the city. Currently, over 70 species of animals, numbering more than 1,000 individuals, are kept here on an area of 1.3 hectares. -0-

BELTA