Cash-strapped Nagaland zoo urges people to adopt animals

The Nagaland Zoological Park (NZP) at Rangapahar near Dimapur has urged the state’s people to adopt all its 350 animals since it is facing an acute financial crunch to bear their expenses.

The zoo authorities said over the years, the awareness over wildlife conservation has increased among the common people of Nagaland. As a result, they are rescuing more and more animals and bringing them to the zoo, causing food and space crunch in the state’s only animal park.

In this first of its kind programme in North-east India, the NZP in inviting people to adopt the animals by paying for their annual feeding and maintenance expenditure for a specific period of time.

“The adoption helps to ensure that the animals at the zoo receive the necessary nutrition, the best possible health care and a safe and happy environment to live.
It will also support the conservation and breeding programmes and spread awareness about the animal’s plight and educate the zoo visitors on conservation,” M Lokeswara Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force of Nagaland said in a official statement on Sunday.

According to official sources, all the animals in the zoo are available for adoption. The adoption is for a minimum period of one year which can be extended for the next year only after filling a fresh application for adoption. All adopted animals remain the property of the zoo, the statement added.

There is an increased awareness among the public on donating animals to the zoological park mainly because of the massive conservation awareness initiatives taken up through the social media.