HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Dec 9: A proposal of Rs 350 crore has been submitted to the Finance department for the development of Guwahati zoo into one of the best in the country, informed chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday.
He said this while speaking to media persons at the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, known as the Guwahati zoo.
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“The State government is taking steps to transform the Assam State Zoo into one of the best zoos in the country for which a Rs. 350-crore redevelopment plan has been sent to the finance department for its approval,” he added.
He also said adequate infrastructure facilities to house animals in a safe and secure environment has been incorporated in the proposed redevelopment plan.
“There are plans to construct a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital and a rehabilitation centre to treat injured animals within the Assam State Zoo premises,” he said.
Besides this, Sarma also announced the name of the first giraffe calf which was born Guwahati zoo. The giraffe was named ‘Parijat’ with the name selected from hundreds of suggestions.
Speaking on the same, Sarma said, “We had received about 350 names for the giraffe calf. The name ‘Parijat’ was chosen through a lottery.”
It is worth mentioning that the CM had called for suggestions through social media for naming the calf after it was born in the zoo last month.
The female calf is the first giraffe to be born in the state zoo. She was born to two giraffes that were brought here from other zoos of the country under animal exchange programmes at different points of time.
Sarma, who also fed the calf during his visit, said it was doing well.
“The calf was rejected by its mother after birth. She refused to feed it. We called in Tushar Kulkarni, an expert in this field from Mumbai. Under his guidance, our team here has taken good care of the calf and it is completely healthy,” he said.
Sarma further informed that more animals are being put for public viewing, including two orangutans which were rescued from smugglers recently.
He also said work on two open zoos in Silchar and Dibrugarh are in the preliminary stage, with tenders being called for it.
Sarma was accompanied by environment & forest minister Chandramohan Patowary, Additional chief secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad, principal chief conservator of Forests MK Yadav, along with a host of other senior officials.
