With the mercury has been on the rise, the authority of the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden here has also taken all sorts of measures so that the animals remain safe in the zoo.
“Certain precautions are being taken up in the zoo to minimize the impact of the summer heat on the animals,” Tejas Mariswamy, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Assam State Zoo Division, told Northeast Now on Tuesday.
The temperature in Guwahati recently increased up to 34 degree Celsius.
Informing about the precautions being taken in the zoo, Mariswamy said, “Water showers, bamboo sheds, pools, fans inside the shelter house have been provided for the zoo animals.”
The forest official also stated that cats, lions, tigers, bears and snakes are sensitive to summer heat.
He also said, “The snake house has been modified with provisions of ventilations, water pool and proper air circulation for comfort,” adding, “Pool, bamboo sheds have been provided for tigers.”
Mariswamy also stated that fans have been provided for the cats in their shelter house while water showers are given to the bears.
“There has been no case of any animal’s death due to the heat, except for a marmoset (monkey),” informed the DFO.
Currently, the Assam State Zoo has around a thousand animals and over 107 species.
Regarding the number of visitors to the State zoo, Mariswamy said with the start of the summer vacations, the number of visitors to the zoo has also been increasing. The zoo authority expects more visitors by July.
As a new development in the zoo, more toilets and drinking facilities for the visitors have been increased. “The zoo is also coming up with a new walk-through aviary,” said the DFO.
“The guide facility, which was introduced in February, 2018, has also been receiving positive feedbacks. The guides give proper information and facts about the animals. The visitors are happy with this service and have demanded for more guides,” the top zoo official.
Currently, three guides are working in the zoo. These guides are working under the Zoo Staff Welfare Society. More guides are expected in the coming months.