Asiatic lions to roar at Pipli zoo from today
Vishal Joshi
Tribune News Service
Kurukshetra, April 12
Pipli zoo here is all set to greet visitors with Asiatic lions. After a break of nearly one-and-a-half year for renovations, Forest and Wildlife Minister Rao Narbir Singh will reopen the mini zoo tomorrow.
Considered as the highly endangered species, the big cats were brought from Gujarat’s Gir forest - home to the world’s last remaining population of the Asiatic lions. It is for the first time that Asiatic lions have been brought to the state’s zoo. Earlier, the Pipli zoo had a tiger, but as of now there are no big cats in the zoo to attract animal lovers.
Spread over 27 acres along the National Highway-1, the mini zoo is one of the three zoos maintained by the state Wildlife Department. The other two are in Rohtak and Bhiwani and a deer park in Hisar.
Meanwhile, the Wildlife Department has overhauled the entire zoo compound with landscaping, new information boards and beautification of the campus.
Wildlife Inspector Rajiv Garg said the zoo would also have a panther, gharials, crocodiles and several species of birds and wild animals. Forest officials said a pair of Asiatic lions was brought in December last and given enough time to acclimatize. According to officials, special enclosures have been constructed for the lions.
