The Malsi Deer Park will soon house tigers, bears and hyaenas apart from having separate rescue centres for leopards and raptors. The Central Zoo Authority has approved the proposal submitted for these developments by the State Forest Department and work is expected to start on this in about a month, said the Dehradun sub divisional officer IA Siddiqui.
It will be recalled that taking cognisance of the complaints of irregularities in the management of the deer park, CZA member secretary BS Bonal had inspected the mini-zoo and issued guidelines for developing it in to a State level zoo with separate sections for birds, carnivores, herbivores and orchids. The Forest Department drafted an elaborate plan for constructing separate rescue shelters for leopards and raptors apart from new enclosures for tiger, hyaena and bears among other wild animals.
According to Siddiqui, the department had submitted a proposal worth Rs 58 lakh for the leopard rescue centre and Rs 15 lakh for the raptor rescue centre which were both approved by the CZA. “The authority will soon provide the necessary funds and work on this project is expected to start in about a month. We will get a tiger from some zoo either in an exchange or if the big cat is being offered by a zoo to the State,” he added.
It is worth mentioning here that the Malsi deer park was established in 1976 on the Dehradun-Mussoorie Road. Situated amidst lush forests in the foothills below Mussoorie, the deer park is used to shelter various wild animals including those rescued by the department from different areas. At present two rescued leopards, different species of deer and avian fauna including injured and rescued birds are housed here but after its development, a larger variety of wildlife will be housed here.
This deer park is also one of the major tourist attractions of the Doon Valley. However, animal welfare activists and concerned citizens have often elicited focus on the need for improving the conditions at Malsi Deer Park for the benefit of both the sheltered wildlife and the visiting people. Poor maintenance and lack of qualified staff to ensure full time attention to the fauna sheltered here are major causes for concern.