Mysuru: State Forest Department Additional Secretary Javed Akhtar said that Karnataka Zoo Authority plans to set up a new zoo in Kalyana Karnataka under CSR grant.
“Belagavi Zoo is well-developed, he said and added that there is a plan to establish a rescue centre there.
Addressing the gathering at the National Conference of Zoo Directors at a private hotel organised by Chamarajendra Zoo in collaboration with Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on Wednesday January 18 he said that the Central Government in association with the Central Zoo Authority provides the necessary resources which will facilitate the opening of new zoos in the State. He said that efforts are being made to create awareness about wildlife conservation in order to keep children away from TV and mobile phones and attract attention towards zoos.
Sanjay Kumar Shukla, Member Secretary of the Central Zoo Authority, said, “There has been a 68 percent decrease in biodiversity due to environmental destruction. According to the Living Planet Index report, the loss of biodiversity has been massive since 1970. Efforts should be made to prevent this loss of diversity, he said adding that preventing this is the biggest challenge before us.
He said that, “Earlier zoos used to display animals and birds in cages. Now priority is given to animal conservation, research, education and entertainment. In the early days of zoos, the purpose was to display animals and birds in cages. He said that the work of conservation, research, education and entertainment of animals is going on. The public may have heard the bad things about zoos in most states of the country. However, Karnataka and West Bengal are doing well. State has a good system. He said that a separate authority is working to monitor the management of zoos.