Darjeeling: In line with the decision to increase the animal population and diversity, 18 new animals have arrived at Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri. If everything goes as planned, the animals will be put on display for visitors by Durga Puja.
During a visit to the park on March 27, Birbaha Hansda, State Minister for Forests, had said that Bengal Safari Park is a major tourist attraction in the region. The new animals will be brought in to further increase the number of visitors, the minister had said. “Several new animals have been brought in from Alipore Zoo in Kolkata. It is a great Puja gift for visitors. We hope to have the animals on display by then. Bengal Safari is the brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and we want to develop it to live up to her expectations,” said Minister Hansda while speaking to Millennium Post.
The state government has also allocated adequate funds to give the park a makeover ahead of the festive season. The animals that have arrived include a pair of Himalayan black bears, two male Indian wild dogs, two pairs of painted storks, a pair of spoonbills, a pair of female gharials and three pairs of green iguanas. “The animals arrived on July 1 and have been kept in separate enclosures. They are in good health and mental state,” said Bengal Safari Park director Vijay Kumar.
The animals were brought from Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo in special ambulances through a special green corridor. The animals were accompanied by a team from Bengal Safari Park, which included animal experts, veterinarians and forest officials. Though the park already has three Himalayan black bears and three gharials, for the first time, Bengal Safari Park will have Indian wild dogs, painted storks, spoonbills and green iguanas. State Zoo Authority member secretary Sourav Choudhary said the exchange of animals was done following all the rules of the Central Zoo Authority.
In another development, a Royal Bengal Tiger sent from Bengal Safari to Tripura Zoo has given birth to three cubs. The park was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2016 and is spread over an area of 290 hectares. The park currently has elephants, Royal Bengal tigers, leopards, barking deer, spotted deer, sambar, rhinoceros, gharial, Himalayan black bear and birds.
