NAINITAL: Country's first carbon neutral zoo, proposed to be built in Haldwani, is set to include a fort that will portray the valour of the Chand dynasty kings, who ruled the Kumaon region. The zoo will also have an artificial lake spanning in two hectares of land, which will house aquatic flora and fauna.
“We are planning to rope in architectures and sculptures from Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The fort will be an amalgamation of architecture style of Shivaji’s fort in Maharashtra and forts built by Chand dynasty in Kumaon,” said Parag Madhukar Dhakate, director of the proposed zoo.
He said the fort will also have a section titled ‘Stone Animal Family’ with stone statues of animals like elephant, tiger, and lion.
Dhakate said that the artificial lake in the 400 acre complex of the zoo-cum-safari will become home to numerous aquatic plants and animals, including migratory birds like Siberian crane.
“The idea behind developing the water body is to provide another space to migratory birds and add to the beauty of the zoo. It will be the first artificial lake in the whole of the Terai area,” he said.
The officials are also planning to plant trees to retain the water in the lake, which will be filled by tube-wells and natural drains in the region.
The zoo-cum-safari will be an independent one, unlike the earlier decision to make it a satellite of GB Pant High Altitude Zoo in Nainital town. The zoo will have 19 segments, including a botanical garden and biodiversity park, according to officials. Moreover, construction materials will include wood and other 'green' components, with less use of bricks and other substances whose manufacture generates more carbon.
Work on the zoo has already begun and is likely to be completed in the next two years. The project has been approved by the Central Zoo Authority and will have 'immersion exhibits', under which bars, cages and buildings, housing the animals will have as less visibility as possible and the animals' natural environments will be recreated, said officials.