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It is an urban wildlife zone

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

Spotted owlets on a tree at the Biodiversity Park at RCD Hospital in the city.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The sharp eyes never miss even the slightest movement in the surroundings.

The stately collection of owls gazes down from their branches as the visitors pass by oblivious of being watched by the nocturnal creatures. Above the owls, colonies of bats fly by.

Even as the concrete jungle continues to expand and encroach into the greens, the urban conglomeration is home to many creatures that live in a harmonious blend with the surroundings.

With migrant birds coming annually to the region, besides the occasional visitor, like the monkey, which troops in from neighbouring villages, the city has a plethora of creatures, which choose to live here. Amidst the tall buildings, the honking traffic and the urban garbage dumps, animal life survives. It is a city within a city, the secret life of the urban wildlife.

Thanks to the patches of greens in the city, creatures like owls and bats have found a home among them. While the old central jail complex houses colonies of flying fox bats among the age-old trees, different species of owls, some rare ones too, can be spotted in some of the greener zones of the city. A large group of barn owls and spotted owlets have found refuge in the old peepal tree and copper pod tree at the Biodiversity Park at RCD Hospital.

The place with a rich melange of trees bearing flowers, berries and fruits all round the year, and a thick undergrowth of shrubs, herbs and grasses providing seed, nesting sites and nesting material, an equally rich faunal diversity is promoted on this estate as indicated by swarms of butterflies hovering, colonies of bats and owls.

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