Jambu zoo to witness major expansion in coming years: J&K Chief Wildlife Warden

Jammu, May 29 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Wildlife Warden Suresh K Gupta on Monday said the newly opened Jambu Zoo in the foothills of Shivalik would witness a major expansion in the coming years to become one of the largest wildlife parks in north India.

The first full-fledged zoo located in Nagrota area along Jammu-Srinagar national highway was dedicated to the public by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha earlier during the day and is tipped to be a major attraction for animal lovers and tourists.

The foundation stone of the project was laid in September 2016 and it missed several deadlines in the recent past.

“I cannot say that it is north India’s largest zoo but over a period of time it will be converted into one as we have 163 hectares of land available for its development. So far, we have been working on just 40 per cent of the available land,” Gupta told reporters at the inaugural function.

He said Sinha has passed the directions for its further expansion and improvement which will be done in the coming years.

“We have large enclosures for the animals, unlike other places where the enclosures are close to each other. They are constructed in a way that the animals can feel as if they are in their natural habitat,” Gupta said, adding all the works undertaken inside the zoo were in accordance with the approval and latest guidelines of the central zoo authority.

He said the department is moving animals including leopards, black bears, a rare variety of small cats, and different kinds of deer species like Sambar, Chital, barking and hog deer and Nilgai.

“We have a very good variety of snakes and we will also start getting animals like Lion, Tiger, Sloths and Crocodiles from other zoos in the next two months,” Gupta said, assuring the visitors altogether a different kind of experience with parks, viewpoints, cafeteria, refreshment points, parking and trekking trails.

He said it will be a complete picnic spot besides serving as a centre for education and awareness about wildlife and biodiversity conservation.

Jammu Wildlife Warden Amit Sharma said the zoo will host several native and exotic animals in its 17 enclosures apart from having various public amenities.

“The work on the project started in 2016 under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) but the work was stopped due to non-availability of funds. Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation released the funds to complete the project at a cost of over Rs 62 crore,” Sharma said.

He said restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the delay in the completion of the project.

Sharma said the other attraction for the visitors is the 650-metre zip line for adventure lovers, battery-operated vehicles and bicycles, making it a “big attraction” for people of all ages.