Master Plan to revamp State Zoo sent to CZO
Animal adoption plan to launch in State soon
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 05 2013 :
With a view to renovate Manipur Zoological garden and increase the varieties of animals in the zoo, the authority of Manipur Zoological Garden has prepared a Master Plan and forwarded the same to the Central Zoo Authority (CZO) .
Sources obtained from Manipur Zoological Garden revealed that a Master Plan to renovate the present condition of the Zoological garden has been prepared and the same sent it to the CZO for approval.
Construction of new cages, fencing, roads inside the zoo, beautification of the zoo and addition of new varieties of animal are some of the main points highlighted in the master plan.
The process for renovation of the zoo would be started as soon as the approval to the master Plan is arrives from CZO.
Sources pointed out Manipur Zoological Garden is presently in the status of a medium zoo with more than 400 animals, birds and reptiles.
There are around 32 animals of schedule I which includes leopards, leopard cats, Sangai, Slow Loris etc.
Around 18 varieties of Schedule I birds including the State bird Nongin are also in the zoo apart from around eight varieties of reptiles including Python.
Moreover, there are around 59 animals of Schedule II which includes bear, different varieties of monkeys, jungle cat and toady cat.
There are also 109 varieties of animals under Schedule III and another nine varieties under Schedule IV.
In the un-schedule category, there are roughly 25 varieties of animals.
Five numbers of Emu, the State bird of Australia, have been added recently.
There are also plans for keeping some Rhinoceros in the zoo from Assam.
There will also be the possibility of keeping wild flesh eating animals like tigers after the zoo is properly renovated and equipped with necessary cages.
However, keeping tigers in Manipur zoo would not be feasible at the moment since rearing of such animals required a large area of land.
There are only about 3-4 zoos in the country where lions are kept, sources added.
Sources also informed that there are plans for launching an Animal Adoption programme in the State.
Under this programme any individual who desires to adopt an animal in the Manipur Zoological garden will be granted the permission to do so.
They will be allowed to provide the maintenance fees for rearing the animals of their desire and their names would be displayed on the cages where the adopted animals are being kept.