Visakhapatnam: Indira Gandhi Zoo Park celebrates Biodiversity Day under Mission LiFE
On the occasion of Bio Diversity Day on May 22, 2023, Indira Gandhi Zoological organized a series of events with the zoo staff aimed at raising awareness and promoting environmental conservation.
The highlight of the day was a plantation drive and seed collection carried out by the zoo staff. As part of the plantation drive, several native plant species were planted throughout the zoo premises, contributing to the enhancement of the biodiversity within the area.
The zoo staff actively collected seeds from the trees, which will be utilized for future propagation and preservation efforts, said Dr. Nandani Salaria, IFS, Curator, IGZP. Later IGZP, Visakhapatnam organized a Bio diversity rally and pledge with the Zoo staff. This initiative aimed to encourage and create awareness among the people about how to protect our Bio Diversity.
These activities establish a deeper connection between people and the environment.Also, an online poem competition was conducted, inviting participants to express their love and appreciation for the beauty and importance of biodiversity through poetry.
The competition saw enthusiastic participation, with inspiring poems submitted by individuals of all ages.IGZP Visakhapatnam remains committed to its mission of conserving and protecting biodiversity. By organizing events like these, the zoo hopes to create a sense of responsibility towards the environment, inspiring individuals to take actions that contribute to the preservation of our rich biological diversity, said Dr. Nandani Salaria, IFS, Curator, IGZP.
As part of Mission Life, till now in Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, so far organized 189 different awareness programs since 5th May 2023 on various themes like Save Energy, Save Water, Plantation drive, Adopting Healthy Lifestyles, Seed Collection,
Animal Keeper Talk, Awareness on different types of medicinal plants in Zoo Nursery, Awareness on consumption of Millets, Awareness on conservation of butterflies, awareness on eco friendly modes of transport, how to reduce global warming. Around 14000 visitors participated in these awareness programs.
Zoos are not only to entertain the visitors but are centre’s for ex-situ conservation facilities for conservation and breeding of rare and endangered wildlife species, for which IGZP has been in the forefront from the very beginning.
IGZP is coordinating zoo for the conservation breeding program of Asiatic wild dogs and has been successfully breeding these animals for more than 2 decades now. There are a lot of efforts and measures taken to ensure the breeding of the in-house wild animals of Vizag zoo, for which evryone involved right from the animal keeper, veterinary team, biologist, executive staff like rangers, till Curator have an important role to play in the process.
Further, many other species like striped hyena, blue gold macaws, Black Buck, barking deer, hog deers, Indian wolf, Indian bison, sambar deer, stump tailed macaque, rhesus macaque, Bonnet macaques, Green iguana, peacocks, butterflies, etc. are successfully breeding in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam. Through the reproduction of these animals, it is useful to conserve the respective species and conserve the biodiversity for the future generations.
