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Punjab Minister of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Lal Chand Kataruchak, on Thursday visited the Chhatbir zoo in Mohali and inaugurated various facilities, including a brand new kitchen that will be used to provide feed to the captive animals.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, RK Mishra, said that the new kitchen was a modern facility in which scientific protocols and standards of safety, bio-security, cleanliness will be maintained while cooking animal feed.
Forest minister Kataruchak also inaugurated a Critical Care Unit built for carnivores inside the Lion Safari area,
which has suitable temperature and humidity control facility for animals as per international standards and an automatic restraint facility for treatment. In this unit too, the best possible arrangements have been made for safety, bio-security and cleanliness, zoo officials informed the minister.
Later, an Open Air Zoo Education Plaza, constructed for visitors and school children, was also inaugurated by the forest minister. The plaza has a seating capacity for more than 100 visitors or students and will host routine awareness and education programmes for visitors and school children about forests, wildlife and environment conservation.
The first phase of Nature Interpretation Centre of Chhatbir zoo was also inaugurated and opened for public by the minister on Thursday.
The centre displays the history of Chhatbir zoo and the role played by other zoos in conservation of wild animals.
Apart from this, creative information regarding the Punjab’s state bird, state animal, state tree, and state aquatic animal are also displayed inside the centre. Information with respect to wetlands of Punjab and a timeline for re-introduction of gharials (fish eating crocodiles) in the Beas River is displayed inside the centre. The centre also has arrangements for visitors and school children to learn interesting information about animals and their behavior through interactive and engaging displays.
Along with this, efforts have also been made to make people aware about the importance of animal adoption.
After the spree of inaugurations at Chhatbir zoo, Kataruchak said that Punjab is an agricultural state, but wildlife is of great importance to us as well and cannot be ignored.
He said that 33 per cent forests are required for the prosperity of human life.
The minister said that there are 1732 animals inside Chhatbir zoo, that is spread on 202 hectares.
He also said that the number of doctors in the zoo will be increased soon for providing better treatment for the animals in the zoo.
The minister wrapped up his visit by planting saplings on the premises of the zoo.
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