Jammu: Terming the ongoing Jambu Zoo project “vital” for Jammu and Kashmir, Adviser K Vijay Kumar has called for consulting wildlife experts and adopting various methods to develop the zoo on modern lines and make it one of the best in the country.
Kumar, Adviser to Governor Satya Pal Malik, visited Jambu Zoo in Khanpur here on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Saturday. He inspected the ongoing construction of the Rs 120-crore project being developed by the state forest department, an official spokesman said on Sunday.
The foundation stone of the project covering an area of 229.50 hectares was laid in September 2016 in a bid to make it a major attraction for animal lovers and tourists.
The Adviser was given a brief about the project and the status of works taken up at the zoo. He was also apprised of other activities being carried out by the department, including the fencing work, construction of water reservoirs and plantation of trees, the spokesman said.
Kumar later took a tour of the zoo area and inspected the enclosures constructed for keeping leopards and porcupines. He was told that these enclosures were being constructed as per the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority, the spokesman said.
Kumar was also informed that the animals kept at Manda Zoo here would be shifted to Jambu Zoo along with other animals from other parts of the state as well as the country after the completion of the project.
The spokesman said the zoo would also house animals like sambar, spotted deer, blue bull, black buck, barking deer, hog deer, goat, fishing cat, sloth bear, wild boar and crocodile.
Jambu Zoo will have vast and open enclosures for animals, a reptile house to display a variety of snakes and lizards, a nocturnal animal house and a large park for birds and butterflies, the spokesman said, adding that there would be facilities like cafeteria and other recreational areas at vantage points.
“An ‘invertebrate conservation centre’ depicting invertebrates such as insects and beetles; nature interpretation centre for organising seminars, conventions and debates; artificial waterfall, artificial lake and a provision for safari are also part of the project,” he said. — PTI
Stone laid in 2016
- The Rs 120-crore project is being developed by the state forest department
- The foundation stone of the project, covering an area of 229.50 hectares, was laid in September 2016 in a bid to make it a major attraction for animal lovers and tourists
