Ranchi, May 16: Are you an animal lover? Then sponsor a lion or a tiger at the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Biological Park in Ormanjhi for Rs 1.685 lakh per annum. For larger animals, like elephants, you will have to shell out a little more — Rs 3.22 lakh.
A proposal sent by the state wild life department to the state government for approval has specified 29 categories of animals at the Ormanjhi park, from lions, tigers and elephants to jackals, pythons and even parrots, that would be put up for adoption by individuals, NGOs and companies.
The choice of animal and the tenure of sponsorship, from one to three years, are left to the choice of applicants. One also has the option of sponsoring all the animals of a particular species.
Located on NH-33 (that links Ranchi to Ramgarh in the Hazaribagh district), around 20km from the state capital, the Birsa Munda Biological Park has 178 wild animals, 23 species of birds and 7 species of reptiles.
Among wild animals it has three elephants, three lions, a lone tiger, 38 cheetahs, 17 black bucks, 6 Himalayan black bears, 33 monkeys apart from three pythons, a crocodile and three alligators. Among birds it has 9 peacocks, two pelicans and two golden pheasants.
While elephants at the Ormanjhi park are the costliest at Rs 3.22 lakh for an adult and Rs 2.15 lakh for a calf, for one year, the cheapest is the parrot with a cost of Rs 2,500 per annum followed by the peacock at Rs 6,600. Jackals are pegged at Rs 11,800 while pythons will cost you as much as Rs 12,900 each year.
The state wildlife department as well as the Birsa Munda Zoo authorities have declared that those interested would be given complete freedom to make a choice. One can also adopt more than one animal of different species.
“The cost of maintaining a zoo is enormous. The animal adoption scheme is popular worldwide. In India, the Lucknow Zoo has already started something similar. We have proposed to launch a similar scheme in Ranchi, too, to help raise funds and enable animal lovers to have their fill,” Satish Kumar Sharma, the chief conservator of forest (wildlife), stressed.
Complete care would be taken to verify the credentials of those intending to adopt animals before the paper work begins. Sponsors would be allowed free entry to the zoo once their papers are approved. “Their names would also be prominently displayed outside the concerned enclosure,” Sharma said.
