Bengal Safari Park come up with animal adoption plan

Siliguri: The Bengal Safari Park has come up with an offer for animal lovers to adopt its animals and birds - for an annual fee.

Any wildlife enthusiast or organisation, whether individually or as a group, can adopt the animals, right from the Royal Bengal Tigers to the rhino, gharial (fish-eating crocodile) or deer.

The initiative has been taken to involve wildlife lovers with the park for protection and conservation of the animals as well as to increase revenue of the park.

The West Bengal State Zoo Authority has already introduced such programme at the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta, said sources.

"The decision to open this opportunity of adopting animals at the park has been made only recently. We have planned to encourage people come forward and adopt wild animals and even birds but distributing leaflets and brochures and by putting the message in signage posts at the park," Arun Mukherjee, the director of BSP, said.

According to him, the charges of adoption will vary from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh per year.

As of now, there are three Royal Bengal Tigers with three cubs, a rhino, gharials, over 400 deers, two elephants and an aviary with birds of different species, at the park.

"To adopt a tiger, a rhino or an elephant, the cost is Rs 2 lakhs in a year. Similarly a deer or a gharial can be adapted by paying Rs 25,000," said a source.

Also, wildlife enthusiasts and animal lovers can join the "friend of zoo" programme and volunteer to work with forest staff to take care of the wild animals. In this case, the person will have to pay an annual fee of Rs 5,000.

Opened in January 2016, the wild animal park has emerged as a major attraction for tourists and locals. Hundreds pour into the park every day that is around 11 km from Siliguri and off NH-31 on way to Sevoke, It is on an area of 297 hectares.

"A 2km stretch has been readied inside the park. It will serve as a separate enclosure for leopards. The leopard safari is likely to start within a few months. We also plan to introduce four white peacocks, build a separate bird zone and a nature interpretation centre before Puja," a source said.

The Telegraph