Light-shy species of city zoo get nocturl shelter!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 14: The Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden has got its infrastructure updated with a nocturl house and two species of fau added to the zoo inhabitants.

“It will be a revolutiory step. It will turn out to be a hotspot for nocturl species as it is a first one of its kind in Northeast. Such kind of nocturl houses are there in Mysore and Hyderabad Zoo. Some of the fau species are nocturl. They are involved in their activities at night. Such species are kept inside the barricades like other animals and people complained about their disappearances who visit the zoo during day time. During the day, such animals seek shelters under canopies of trees and inside the caves so they are seldom seen. This nocturl house will give the species a night environment inside the display chamber allowing them to do their activities, and at the same time providing a view to the visitors,” former Ranger LC Gogoi said.

 Describing the features of the nocturl house, Gogoi said that upon entering the visitors will get to take information about the inhabitants of the house in the interpretation room and it has a light and sound control room adjacent to the interpretation room. “Three kind of lights such as dim, moon and day as well as well as tropical forest sound effects will be used to suit the environment for the species. We will also have off display chambers along with the display chambers as we cannot keep all the members of the same species inside the display chamber at the same time. This will also provide the species a change in the environment. The off display chamber is important and it is a modernised form of the nocturl houses across the country,” Gogoi said. The upcoming nocturl house which is spanning up to area 12,000 square feet will host species like Binturong, Indian crested porcupine, Common palm civet, small Indian civet, Himalayan masked civet, Slow loris, Small Asian mongoose, Pengolin, Barn owl, Brown fish owl and Bat.

When asked if new animals have been newly brought to zoo, Assistant Conservator P Baruah said one pair of Asiatic lions, one male and female, and eight Mouse deer, four males and as many females have been brought under animal exchange programme of Central Zoo Authority with Nehru Zoological Park located in Hyderabad. In return, Assam state zoo gave away Himalayan black bear and Stump tail Macaque.

 The construction of the nocturl house took place under the aegis of Central Zoo Authority on an estimated expense of Rs 1 crore. The State Zoo authorities hoped that it will be opened from October 1 onwards to the visitors.

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com