Two pairs of brow antlered deer (sangai) and a lion are headed to Harinalaya Mini Zoo in New Town.
The lion enclosure is being readied and should be complete in a few months, said a senior official of the state forest department, which manages the zoo. The brow antlered deer are expected to land up later this month.
The brow antlered deer, also called dancing deer, are endemic to Manipur. They are found in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP) surrounding Loktak Lake — the largest freshwater lake in the Northeast.
This species of deer was believed to have gone extinct until a remnant population was discovered in the early 1950s. Since then, conservation efforts are on to protect it.
The deer are being brought from Manipur and will first be kept at the Alipore zoo, the official said.
“Once in New Town, they will be kept under observation before they are shifted to an enclosure where visitors can see them,” he said.
The lion enclosure will resemble the terrain of Gir National Park with dry deciduous forests.
“The lions will only go indoors for feeding and breeding,” said the official.
At first, one lion will be brought.
“We are setting up the enclosure for the lion. Work is expected to be completed in the coming few months. Once the enclosure is ready, we will start the procedure for bringing in the lion,” he said.
The mini zoo spread is over 17 acres.
The official said big cats like the Asiatic lion, Royal Bengal tiger and leopard will be brought to the park soon.
“Work on building their enclosures is on. We have managed to recreate their habitats in the wild. All the enclosures are being built with a toughened glass front for the best viewing experience. While the animals will be behind an iron fencing, visitors will be behind the glass panes. There will be a gap of about 1.5 feet between the fencing and the panes. The top of the fencing will be energised so the big cats cannot leap out and humans can’t go in,” he said.