A history was created at Gandhi Garden on 22nd April 1967 when a pair of mute swans and Russian mullard ducks bred in captivity for the first time in 15 years. The wild ducks or swans had never bred at a zoo before. The four young off springs were seen with parents in the duck pond. The young ones were a few days old as the parents had successfully kept them in hiding in thick wood and bushes for safety. Another pleasant surprise came in the form of a mute swan egg of about the size of a cricket ball, also for the first time.

(Photo credit: British Library; story adapted from a news item, the ‘Dawn’)