3 wildlife hospitals to come up in N Bengal

Jalpaiguri: State govt has approved the setting up of three major veterinary hospitals in north Bengal to treat wild animals. The forest department has identified three locations for the hospitals: Sukna, near Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary; Lataguri, on the outskirts of Gorumara National Park; and between Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve Forest. This initiative aims to ensure timely treatment for wild animals injured due to infighting, road and train accidents, and attacks by people.The project had been in the pipeline since the early 2000s. The forest department is now preparing three separate DPRs for the hospitals. "Each hospital will require 3 bighas of land. They will have modern amenities like operation theatres, USG centres, and anaesthesia units. Until now, we had no option but to treat animals inside the forests. That has to be done only during the day, needs armed force for security from other wildlife, and is time-consuming. Once these hospitals are established, we can treat the animals properly and with ease," said Bhaskar J V, chief conservator of forests, wildlife, northern circle.North Bengal is dotted with numerous forest tracts, major ones being Mahananda and Chapramari wildlife sanctuaries, Gorumara, Jaldapara and Neora Valley national parks, and Buxa Tiger Reserve Forest."This is a very good move by state govt. Let's hope we see the hospitals function soon," said Animesh Bose, member of the state wildlife advisory committee.