Mini zoo in West Bengal to have Himalayan black bear, lion, tiger

A separate enclosure for carnivores has been earmarked at ‘Harinalaya’, the new zoo set up in New Town area of the city, which houses birds and several species of herbivores, a senior official of West Bengal Zoo Authority said Monday.

The mini zoo, located near Eco Park’s gate number 6 in Action Area 2 of New Town area, a satellite township near the city, has been renovated recently and new enclosures have been built for housing carnivores, the official told PTI.

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"As of now, there are more than 100 rare birds, two giraffes, two zebras and one hippopotamus at the zoo spread over an area of 12.50 acre.

"We will be shortly bringing lion, tiger, leopard fishing cat, leopard cat in the carnivore section," the senior official said.

He said the number of each species will not be large to prevent overcrowding.

Himalayan black bear will also be brought and housed in a separate enclosure.

The zoo also houses spotted deer, barking deer, marsh crocodiles, saltwater crocodiles and sugar gliders, he added.

“We also have plans to set up a primate zone where exotic species like hullock gibbon, tamarind marmoset, white-lipped tamarin, mona monkey will be kept,” he said.

The reptile zone will house various types of pythons and lizards.

" Reticulated python, Indian rock python, ball python, burmese python, water monitor lizards and yellow monitor lizard will be kept in the reptile zone," he added.

‘Harinalaya’ was initially set up in 2016 for housing deer along the vast stretch of green foliage and tall trees skirted by a large water body.

Later the forest department decided to expand it into a mini zoo, away from the congested metropolis.

"We want to lessen the stress on the Alipore Zoological Gardens which is visited by lakhs during peak season in December-January and by thousands for the rest of the year. Due to the threat posed by sound and air pollution there, extra precaution is required for the animals. The new mini zoo in Eco Park can be an ideal habitat for the animals," he added.

Earlier there were plans to shift the zoo to Baruipur but that did not materialise.