Sambalpur (Odisha), Apr 2 (PTI) As the summer season set in, authorities at the Sambalpur Zoo here have made special arrangements like putting large ice cubes and air coolers for animals, an official said.
DFO, Hirakud Wildlife Division, Anshu Pragyan said to safeguard animals, air coolers are being installed at bear and leopard enclosures to help the animals beat the heat during daytime.
All 28 animal enclosures have been provided with bamboo sheds and thatch roofs, and water holes have been created in all enclosures for keeping the animals cool, the DFO said, adding that water is being sprinkled on thatched roof sheds during the daytime.
“We have placed air coolers in the enclosures of leopard and bear,” she said, adding that the animals are also given special summer diet like glucose, ORS, honey and other electrolytes along with water to keep them hydrated.
Fruits with water contents such as watermelon, sugarcane, cucumber, papaya, grapes, tomato and ‘salads’ are now given to animals, the DFO said.
Bird enclosures are being covered with green nets and thatched bamboo to reduce the heat entering them. The newly created Orchidarium with 101 species and the rose garden are watered with Greennets.
Now that blackbucks and hogdeers were added to Sambalpur Zoo beside the orchidarium, rose garden, and nocturnal house, arrangements are also made for them, the official said.
As the zoo witnesses footfall of around 1,000 visitors during the holidays in summer, arrangements are also made for them. Storytelling sessions in the zoo is also one of the main attractions for visitors, the DFO said.
The Sambalpur Zoo houses 18 varieties of 350 animals in 28 enclosures.
They include bear, leopard, blackbuck, chowsingha, hogdeer, sambar, deer, monkey, barking deer, python, mongoose, palm civets, colourful birds like cockatiel, budgerigar, peacock and others. PTI COR AAM AAM RG
Category: Breaking News
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