BHARATPUR SANCTUARY
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Context: The Rajasthan state Forest Department has proposed to construct a zoo inside Keoladeo National Park, a World Heritage Site popularly known as Bharatpur bird sanctuary, to display a range of wetland species, including rhinos, water buffaloes, crocs, dolphins and exotic species.
Details:
- The purpose of this zoo, called Wetland ex-situ Conservation Establishment (WESCE), says the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Development Project (RFBDP), is “to rejuvenate the bio-diversity of Keoladeo National Park, thereby boosting its outstanding universal values.”
- The Rs 15-crore WESCE plan for Bharatpur is part of the ambitious RFBDP for which Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the overseas development arm of the French government, has agreed to fund up to Rs 1,200 crore over eight years.
Bharatpur Sanctuary:
- Formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Keoladeo National Park is recognised as one of the world’s most important bird breeding and feeding grounds.
- It originated in as a royal hunting reserve during the 1850s and was a game reserve for Maharajas and the British.
- In fact, Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943, shot over thousands of ducks with his hunting party in a single day!
- In 1982, Keoladeo was declared a national park and then later listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
- The park is home to over 370 species of birds and animals such as the basking python, painted storks, deer, nilgai and more.
- Noted Indian ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali used his influence to garner government support to create Keoladeo National Park.
- It was also known as the breeding ground for the rare and elusive to spot Siberian crane
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