State’s second animal treatment room to come up in Sultanpur National Park

The state forest department has approved construction of an animal treatment centre at the Sultanpur National Park, around 15 kilometres from the city. The department is expected to float tenders for the same by the end of this month.

Currently, the state only has one treatment facility for animals, and that is in Rohtak, nearly 80 kilometres from Gurugram, and the distance often proved to be costly in emergencies situations.

The new animal treatment centre will be spread across three acres behind the Sultanpur rest house. It will have three rooms, cages, open space for treated animals, a doctors’ room, medical equipment such as a portable X-ray machine, portable coloured ultrasound machine, operation theatre and a pharmacy.

The facility will have a staff strength of 10 people, including a veterinary doctor, an assistant to the doctor, an animal handler, an animal keeper and guards.

Forest and wildlife minister Rao Narbir Singh has sanctioned a fund of ₹65 lakh for the construction of the centre and purchase of equipment, officials said.

“The centre will be a boon to wild animals in distress. Animals rescued in the region can be treated at the centre and attempts would be made to rehabilitate them in the forest,” Singh said.

Last year, the chief conservator of forest, wildlife Gurgaon, Vinod Kumar, had written to
the state government to allot space and funds for building another animal treatment centre in Haryana.

“A second animal treatment centre is the need of the hour, as there are several rescue operations in the district and we are facing challenges as we need to send the injured animals to
in Rohtak, which is the only facility in the state with a treatment room,” Singh said.

There have been several incidents of man-animal conflict in the district and injured animals are brought to the city from Aravalli forest areas for first-aid and then sent to Rohtak.