A quarantine station for rescued wild animals will soon come up at the Chamundi Animal Conservation, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Koorgalli, an independent facility developed by the Mysuru zoo on the outskirts of Mysuru.
The holding facility will comply with the recommended quarantine procedures followed globally by zoological gardens.
The work on the construction of the station is expected to start soon as the tender process had been under progress.
The zoo was using its own funds for developing the facility for multiple animal species to ensure that no infections from the wild animals were spread to the healthy animals already in captivity since many years.
“As of now, animals rescued and brought to our centre are housed in the same facility where rehabilitated animals are given shelter. There are possibilities of infections from the wild animals spreading to the healthy animals. This can be avoided if they are quarantined on independent premises,” said zoo Executive Director Ajit Kulkarni.
Usually, the rescued wild animals suffer from tick-borne illnesses that are transmittable. Most often, the rescued animals are brought here with injuries as well.
The best way would be to house them at a distance for 15-20 days on a separate campus with facilities for their care. “The need was felt in the interest of wildlife and the process has taken off,” Mr. Kulkarni said.
It’s going to be a full-fledged quarantine care with three to four holding rooms with separate room for the keepers and caretakers.
Only ailing or disabled animals, or those that cannot be displayed at the zoo for certain reasons, can be shifted to the rescue centre. Rescued and injured animals from the forests are often brought for treatment and they mostly include tigers and leopards, with two national parks – Bandipur and Nagarahole – located in less than 100 km distance.
The country’s biggest Gaur (Indian bison) conservation breeding centre is also located at the Chamundi centre. Besides holding rooms, each block at the centre has day-crawl facilities for free movement of animals. The centre already has eight holding rooms where tigers, cheetah and leopards are housed. Some elephants have also been shifted to the rescue centre.