Bathinda’s Bir Talab Zoo to have Butterfly Zone soon
KS Diwan/ royalpatiala.in/ Bathinda
People visiting the Bir Talab will soon find another soothing place to spend time with the elderly and children as 3.5 acres area of natural landscape in front of leopard cage, is being converted into Butterfly Zone.
This naturally landscaped Zone with its rich butterfly fauna will be full of flowers besides numerous varieties of colorful butterflies. The zoo authorities expect remarkable rise in butterfly population after the completion of this zone.
An amount of Rs 10-12 lakh out of total Rs 26 lakh from MGNREGA has already been spent on this project which is likely to be completed in the coming few days or so.
ADC (D) Sakshi Sawhney who conceptualized the idea of creating a separate zone for the butterflies said that in-situ conservation of butterfly diversity will not only prove instrumental in the rise of butterfly varieties in the zoo but it will also increase the footfall of visitors in zoo.
“At present 13-14 different varieties of butterfly are recorded in the area which is full of multiple indigenous host plants,” she said, adding that a separate sand-path for visitors, pond and polyhouse for the butterflies is being made by utilizing the funds from MGNREGA.
She said that the children from Bathinda and surrounding areas can learn about the living of the insects and increase their interest towards biodiversity. Sakshi said that the Butterfly Zone at Bir Talab Zoo will be a unique thing for the people as previously it was only available in cities like Chandigarh.
