Lion cubs, wild dogs and ring-tailed lemurs on Christmas guest list at Alipore Zoo

Sampurna Majumder | TNN | Updated: Dec 17, 2019, 10:05 IST

A ring-tailed lemur that recently arrived at Alipore zooKOLKATA: New guests have arrived at the Alipore Zoo and they are set to meet the visitors just before Christmas.
Two cubs an of Asiatic lion, four wild dogs and two ring-tailed lemurs, who have been brought from the Vizag Zoo are spending time in quarantine before they are shifted to enclosures.
Zoo is one of the most visited destinations in the winter, particularly during the Christmas-New Year weekend. The footfalls have crossed over 1 lakh per day on several occasions. Zoo remains open even on Thursdays during the peak season.
“Lakhs of people visit the zoo during the December-January period. We have decided that animals brought from the Vizag zoo will be placed in the enclosures just before Christmas so that people get the opportunity to see them,” said Ashish Kumar Samanta, director of Alipore Zoo.
The zoo is also making arrangements to tackle the rush of people during the Christmas and New Year period. From an in-house control room to an ambulance to ferry people if anybody gets injured, the zoo is implementing several measures to make it a smooth experience for the visitors.
“We will be opening eight additional ticket counters to clear the rush near the entry gates. People will not have to stand for long for their turn to enter the zoo. We will also be increasing the number of security personnel from 90 to 150 who will roam around the campus and keep a check on the visitors. In addition to that, police personnel in civil uniform from Watgunge police station, Alipore police station and Lalbazar would be deployed in and around the zoo campus. We are also planning to set up a control room. Besides that, the presence of first aid for minor injuries and ambulance facility will also be available. Announcement would also be made on the public-address system for persons losing their way amidst the crowd,” said the director.
The zoo authorities are also planning to unveil the nocturnal house for the visitors with new members like owl, pangolin, porcupine, slow loris and hedgehog.
(With inputs from Anuvab Deb Sinha)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/lion-cubs-wild-dogs-and-ring-tailed-lemurs-on-christmas-guest-list-at-zoo/articleshow/72786020.cms