Delhi’s famed Deer Park to shut down after 55 years

In a recent order, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) canceled A N Jha Deer Park’s recognition as a ‘mini zoo’ and ordered its closure due to the “overcrowding” of the deer population at the park, The Indian Express has learnt. (Express Archive photo by Premnath Pandey)

The nearly 600 deer it houses will be shifted to forest areas in Rajasthan and Delhi to augment their prey base. The Delhi Development Authority will maintain the park as a protected forest. (Express Archive Photo by Premnath Pandey)

The deer population has grown unchecked over the years because of the absence of a natural predator and is causing “overcrowding.” (Express Archive Photo by Premnath Pandey)

The park, which has been in existence for the last 55 years, is a popular spot in Delhi, a picnic spot, and a canvas for photoshoots. (Express Archive Photo by Amit Mehra)

The Indian Express reported in March that the initial proposal in 2022 was to transfer all its deer to forest areas in Rajasthan. Authorities at CZA, however, decided that some of the deer would be moved to Delhi’s Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. (Express Archive Photo by Premnath Pandey)

A senior DDA official said that a few deer were brought to the park in the 1960s, and since then, there has been a significant increase in the deer population. The DDA’s officers were not trained to handle these large numbers. (Express Archive Photo by Abhinav Saha)

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the CZA member Secretary to discuss the proposal of canceling the recognition and transferring the deer. (Express Archive Photo by Premnath Pandey)

At this meeting, the Chief Wildlife Warden of Delhi, Suneesh Buxy, said that the “number of leopards in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Delhi, has risen,” and “there is a need to supplement the prey base,” according to the CZA’s order. (Express Archive Photo by Praveen Khanna)

When asked about when the animals are likely to be moved out of the park, the DDA official said that it would be up to the forest department officials in Rajasthan and Delhi. (Express Archive Photo by Amit Mehra)

A senior official at the forest department in Delhi said that currently, the breeding season of the animals is going on, and the deer can only be moved after the breeding season is over, possibly in winter or after the winter. (Express Archive Photo)