Student donates ₹50,000 to adopt honey badger at Hyderabad zoo
HYDERABAD: An MBBS second-year student marked his birthday by contributing to wildlife conservation at Nehru Zoological Park on March 29, 2026.
J Rehan Prakash, a student of Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, donated ₹50,000 towards the adoption and maintenance of a honey badger for six months. He visited the zoo with his parents, J Muralidhar and J Jyothi, and friends, and handed over the cheque to Sunil S Hiremath, Director of Zoo Parks, Telangana.
Rehan Prakash said he drew inspiration from his father, a forest officer, to support wildlife conservation. “Taking care of wild animals in conservation centres and zoos is a challenging task,” he said, thanking the zoo authorities for allowing him to contribute towards the animal’s upkeep.
Zoo Director Sunil S Hiremath thanked the student and his friends for the initiative. He said this was the first time a honey badger had been adopted at the zoo.
Nocturnal carnivore housed for public display
Officials said the honey badger, also known as the ratel, is a nocturnal mammal found in India, Africa and southwest Asia. It is primarily carnivorous and is currently housed in the nocturnal animal section of the zoo for public viewing.
