Why in News?

=> The director of Van Vihar National Park Zoo, Bhopal, H.C. Gupta said that the number of herbivorous wild animals living freely in the Van Vihar National Park Zoo and kept in the enclosures is 1652.

Key Points:

=> The Director said that in the census conducted on February 24, 25 and 26 this year, 1516 wild animals were found to move freely.

=> These include 522 chital, 362 sambar, 81 nilgai, 90 wild boar, 257 peacock, 51 jackal, 60 langur, 71 black deer, 3 chausingha, 3 sehi, 11 reindeer, 3 wild cat and one chinkara and pegolin each.

=> In the last 3 years, there has been an increase in the number of chital, wild boar, peacock, langur, reindeer, gharial and mountain tortoise etc. So far this year 38 chitals have been shifted to Gandhi Sagar, Mandsaur and Seoni sanctuaries.

=> 3 lions, 13 tigers, 1 white tiger, 10 leopards, 20 bears, 1 hyena, 13 crocodiles, 2 gaur, 28 mountain tortoises, 33 aquatic tortoises and 6 alligators have been found in the park.

=> 6 wildlife have gone to the Quarantine Center. These include 1 leopard and 5 African tortoises (court case).