Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park Selected For Earth Heroes Award 2014
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park Selected For Earth Heroes Award 2014
Darjeeling Zoo a.k.a The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is known for its flora and fauna. This zoo has been selected for The Earth Heroes Award 2014. The director of the zoo, Dr. Alankar Jha celebrated this momentous announcement and spoke of the importance of conservation. He informed the media that India’s Darjeeling Zoo is the first in the nation to be selected for the international award staving off competition from 300 zoos all over the world.
This award is given by the Royal Bank of Scotland in partnership with the government of Britain. This zoo was established in the year 1958 and it is one of the topmost zoos in the country. Darjeeling Zoo is the largest high altitude zoo among select such zoos in India at the elevation of a staggering 7000 feet.
Dr. Jha was quoted as saying that it had played a key, proactive role for the promotion and conservation of the Himalayan fauna and flora and that this zoo specialises in breeding animals suit and adapted to alpine conditions. Some of the rarest animals in the world in captivity such as the Red Pandas and the Tibetan Wolf have been reared and successfully bred in Darjeeling Zoo, according to the Director.
The park has been named after the former governor of West Bengal and the daughter of Sarojini Nadu, Padmaja Naidu. The Darjeeling Zoo is a central hub for the Central Zoo Authority of the Indian Red Panda programme. It is also a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The award was received in the national capital on November 4th. Darjeeling Zoo is one of the chief centres for conservation in India and across the world. This falls under the category of small zoos as per the classification by the Central Zoo Authority yet it’s the largest high altitude zoo in the nation, integral to the conservation of the Himalayan eco-system.
Earth Heroes Award was instituted by the Royal Bank of Scotland along with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums/ WAZA in 2011. This award is given to individuals and institutions who work hard to preserve the eco system.
Ecological conservation is a very important part of the protection of earth’s resources. If the natural balance is lost, much desolation and mayhem will result. Destruction of earth’s pristine resources in the name of development has been a big issue, in a developing world where profits and currencies rule.
However, sustainable development has the capacity to generate the greenbacks and protect the earth simultaneously. Sustainable development is the solution to a lot of problems the earth is currently encountering. The current energy crisis will cease to exist if the clean energy movement gained momentum. The best part about conserving earth’s resources is that it will ensure the cycle remains unaffected and becomes a process of renewal of the earth’s depleting resources.
Earth has a carefully balanced ecosystem and this is why it is the habitable planet in a solar system surrounded by seemingly dead planets. Man has the responsibility to protect earth and its resources. Humankind’s only home has to be protected from destruction. Development can only be positive if it is sustainable.
