SGNP animals up for adoption

MUMBAI: Have you ever thought of working on conserving the Indian wildlife but didn’t know where to start? Well, here’s your chance to take care of some of the country’s rare and endangered species.

Forest officials at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) will soon put up the animals in the park for adoption by individuals and corporates. The scheme is being introduced for a period of one year.
SGNP director and conservator of forest P N Munde said: “We will put up 46 animals in captivity for adoption. The idea is to reduce the financial burden of maintenance of the animals on the forest department.’’

Among the animals that can be adopted are four tigers, two white tigers, three lions, 24 leopards including two cubs, six rusty spotted cats, two nilgais, four spotted deer and a barking deer. Every year, the forest department spends more than Rs 50 lakh on the upkeep of cages and maintenance of the animals.