A new enclosure for orangutans built entirely with financial assistance from Bank Note Paper Mill India (BNPMI), Mysuru, was inaugurated at Mysuru zoo on Friday.
The new enclosure inaugurated on Friday is the second phase of the Orangutan Housing Facility.
Built at a cost of ₹99.20 lakh, the new enclosure is expected to “go a long way in conservation of the Orangutan, an endangered great ape, and also in creation of awareness about its conservation”, executive director of Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysuru, D. Mahesh Kumar said in a statement here.
“The total investment in the development of this facility is ₹99.20 lakh and the entire fund for this project has been donated by the Bank Note Paper Mill India”, the statement said adding that the Mysuru zoo and Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) thank BNPMI profusely for this kind support.
The second enclosure for housing orangutans is expected to help the zoo authorities take up captive breeding of the endangered species.
BNPMI, which had donated ₹70 lakh for construction of an orangutan house earlier under its CSR initiative, had agreed to fund the second enclosure after the zoo authorities proposed to have a larger place for captive breeding of the apes.
Two pairs of orangutans brought from Singapore and Malaysia under an animal exchange deal were displayed in the enclosure built earlier. In return for two pairs of giraffes, Mysuru zoo brought 17-year-old male Merlin, and 13-year-old female Atina from Singapore zoo, while 5-year-old male Afa and 7-year-old female Minnie were brought from Malaysia zoo in 2021.
Managing Director of BNPMI, Mysuru, inaugurated the second enclosure of orangutans at Mysuru zoo on Friday in the presence of Zoo Authority of Karnataka’s member secretary B.P. Ravi, and senior officials of BNPMI.
Mysuru zoo executive director D. Mahesh Kumar and deputy director of Mysuru zoo A.J. Roshni were also present on the occasion.
