Govt to close Gopalpur zoo in phased manner

Ravinder Sood

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Palampur, October 21

The state government’s recent decision to close the Gopalpur zoo, situated near Palampur, has attracted widespread criticism in Kangra.

The zoo, a key attraction for tourists in the Kangra Valley, was set up in 1992 during the tenure of the then Chief Minister Shanta Kumar.

‘Govt should give second thought’

• The Gopalpur zoo is situated on the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges at Gopalpur village along the Palampur-Dharamsala highway
• The major attractions of the zoo include Asiatic Lion, leopard, Himalayan black bear, sambar, barking deer, among others
• If it is closed down, it will be a major setback to the tourism industry in the Kangra valley
• Ex-CM Shanta Kumar says the government should give a second thought to its decision

Head of the state Wildlife Department Anil Thakur announced recently that the government would soon shift the wild animals from Gopalpur to a new zoo that would come up at Bankhandi, near Dehra Gopipur. He said the Gopalpur zoo would be closed in a phased manner.

Thakur had also said the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had already given its clearance for setting up of a new zoo at Bankhandi that would be made operational in the next three years. The state government had already allocated Rs 600 crore for the purpose.

The Gopalpur zoo is situated in the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges at Gopalpur village along the Palampur-Dharamsala highway. The zoo has maple trees, horse chestnut trees, chil and other varieties. The major attractions of the zoo include Asiatic Lions, leopards, Himalayan black bears, sambar deers, barking deers, gorals, wild pigs, Bhutan grey peacocks, cheer pheasants, red jungle fowl peacocks, vultures and eagles, among others.

The zoo is visited by hundreds of tourists daily. If it is closed, it would be a major setback to the tourism industry in the Kangra valley. Hundreds of locals would also be rendered jobless. Talking to The Tribune, former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar said that the state government should give a second thought to its decision. Closing the zoo would mean injustice with the people of the Kangra valley. There was no justification for shutting down a zoo set up 30 years ago, he said.

Meanwhile, local MLA Ashish Butail said he met CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in this regard in Shimla recently and requested him not to close the zoo. He said the CM assured him that he would look into the matter.