PANAJI
Almost one thousand visitors have visited the Bondla Zoo since its re-opening on June 26. The State’s lone zoological park was shut from April 1 following the death of five animals.
The very first day of Zoo reopening saw 50 visitors arriving including kids. “Despite the rain, we are recording a good number of visitors at the zoo,” a senior forest official said.
From June 26 to July 6, the zoo saw 987 visitors. Zoo remains closed for visitors on every Monday.
The zoological park was closed to the public since April 1 following the death of five animals- three civet cats and two jungle cats. Since then, the other animals were placed under quarantine. H5N1 in two jungle cats was confirmed by the Goa forest department; however the reason for the deaths of three civet cats was not known.
As per the protocol, the zoo was opened following the “negative” test report for Avian Influenza.
The closure of the zoo during the peak season- April-May- that coincides with the school summer break, had led to major revenue loss to the forest department as the vacations were the targeted period for high zoo footfall.
Official said that the zoo lost over Rs 2 .50 lakh revenue during the closure period.
Meanwhile, the State forest department is currently in process of implementing the Master Plan for the zoo, which was approved by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in November 2022. The plan, which was being drafted since 2008, focuses on the holistic and integrated development of the zoo.
As part of the plan, the CZA has approved designs for new enclosures for leopards, gaurs and the gaur conservation breeding unit.
The Bondla zoo currently houses 12 gaurs -eight females and four males.
The official informed that the department is in the process of working on designs for new enclosures for four more species that are wild dogs, jungle cats, porcupines, and mouse deer.
According to the master plan, new enclosures will be also built for animals like tigers and sambar, along with other upgrades to showcase the diverse fauna of the Western Ghats.
A grand entrance plaza, high-quality restaurants, recreational activities, a play area for children and other facilities are also being worked upon as part of the plan, official said.
