Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Building a moat for Babloo the Bear
Goodbye to iron bars.
THE FOUR bears in the City Zoo would shortly get a room with a view or rather, an enclosure with some space. The sprawling bird-rich lake would dominate the foreground while the wooded elephant/ rhino country would lie to the right.
The Zoo authorities have started work on setting up the one acre-plus bear enclosures on the hillside directly opposite to what used to be the hippo pit. The moat that will encircle these huge enclosures is in the process of being dug.
Last year, work on the bear enclosure had fallen slightly behind schedule on account of the delay in the flow of funds from the Centre to the State Government and thence to the Zoo. But the receipt of the Central Zoo Authority funds totalling Rs. 82.5 lakhs some months ago, has come as a boon for the two Sloth Bears and their two Himalayan cousins at the Zoo.
The new enclosures will be `barrier-free' with no iron bars hindering a perfect view of the bears in action (or at sleep). The only separation between the visitors and the bears will be the deep moat.
Inside the enclosures, a pseudo-habitat would be created. The `effects' planned include massive tree trunks for the bears to climb and to keep those claws razor-sharp. There are also plans to plant a few trees to give the enclosures ample shade.
The new bear enclosure being readied.
The enclosures will sport a small pool and probably even a small waterfall. This, according to the Zoo authorities, will provide a `Himalayan' touch to the enclosures.
Officials were quick to add that visitors should not come expecting the kind of waterfall or stream they see in television channels such as Discovery or National Geographic from which grizzlies scoop up salmon by the dozen.
Yes, there will be the moat, the pool, the trees, artificial rock faces and possibly, a small cave.
As with all the other new enclosures, there will be a viewing area and also a private feeding and resting area for the bears.
By G. Mahadevan
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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