Cuttack’s Showpiece Deer Park To Be Shut Down; Shift Plan Set In Motion

Cuttack: The process to shift deer out of the overcrowded Deer Park at Madhusudan Nagar in Odisha’s Cuttack city maintained by the local civic body has begun.

According to sources, 30 deer have already been shifted in two phases to a temporary rescue centre (special enclosure) at Ambilo spread over 3.5 hectares of forest land within Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The entire process is expected to be completed within a month.

The translocation process would be carried out in phases, Cuttack City DFO Ajit Kumar Satapathy told the media.

The move came in response to Orissa High Court’s order, directing the Cuttack Municipal Corporation to set up another deer park about four years back, and Central Zoo Authority (CZA)’s warning to cancel the licence if it failed to provide adequate space and proper environment for the animal in the park.

Established across 2.5 acres of land on the banks of the Mahanadi in 1981 with only five deer, the Cuttack park now has 296 deer when regulation permits only three to five animals an acre. This created spatial issues, restricting movement of animals inhabiting the park.

“We are keeping a close watch on the deer and their health is being monitored by veterinary doctors at the rescue centre,” Chandaka DFO Sarat Chandra Behera was quoted as saying.

He added that the deer will be released into Chandaka forest once they get acquainted with the forest environment.