Construction of Leopard Rescue Centre begins at Daulatabad

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A Leopard Rescue Centre (LRC) is being established on 2.5 acres of land at the Daulatabad plant nursery, with the collaboration of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Department of Forest (DoF). The state government has allocated Rs 11 crore for this project, which is expected to be completed by 2025.

The proposal for setting up a LRC at Daulatabad, with an estimated cost of Rs 14 crore, was submitted to the Head Office by the DoF in 2022 under the guidance of Conservator of Forests (Territorial) H.G. Dhumal and Deputy Conservator of Forests Suryakant Mankawar. Following this, the state government approved the establishment of LRCs in Nanded and Daulatabad, with an allocation of Rs 11 crore for each location.

In April 2024, the DoF transferred this funding to the PWD, which then issued a tender for the project. The Range Forest Officer (RFO) A R Perkar confirmed that the work on the project began in May 2024, and it is expected to be completed by November 2025, hopes the DoF officials.

Previously, wild animals had to be treated at veterinary hospitals or in open spaces. With this new rescue centre, treatment will be provided in a dedicated facility. The LRC will feature an OPD for wild animals, an operating theatre, a rescue van, a rescue team, and an electric crematorium. Four buildings will be constructed for these purposes, including an operation theater, a hospital for birds, a separate OPD for leopards, a room for post-mortem examinations, veterinarians, and a rescue van. Following the rules of the Central Zoo Authority, the LRC will have cages designed to hold animals for up to 30 days. A separate facility will also be set up for animal feeding.

Animals are currently sent to other districts for treatment

Due to the large population of wildlife and birds in areas like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Gautala, and Patnadevi, sick or injured wildlife animals currently need to be sent to other districts for treatment. Besides, a rescue team has to be called in to capture leopards. With the new centre, all these services will now be available locally.

According to a sectional engineer (PWD) Anil Holkar, “ For the LRC at Daulatabad, Rs 11 crore has been allocated, and four buildings will be constructed under this project. The centre will include a hospital for birds and wildlife animals. The work on the project began two months ago and is expected to be completed within the stipulated time.”