Oh Deer! Why Delhi's Deer Park is shutting down after 55 years

Its time to bid goodbye to the beloved Deer Park in Hauz Khas, Delhi. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has cancelled its recognition as a ‘mini zoo’ and decided to translocate the animals due to their rapidly increasing numbers and inadequate manpower. According to a report in Indian Express, the decision was taken owing to the ‘overcrowding’ at the park. The deer population has grown unchecked as there is no natural predator in the area. Deer Park houses nearly 600 deer that will now be moved to the forest areas in Rajasthan and Delhi, after the breeding season is over. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will maintain the park as a protected forest. Cancellation of ‘mini zoo’ status An order to this effect was recently issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, officials said on Tuesday. “Six deer were introduced in the park in the 1960s and over time, the number swelled to approximately 600. It had been given the status of a ‘mini zoo’ by the CZA,” a senior official said. The park, officially known as A N Jha Deer Park, in south Delhi’s Hauz Khas area is a popular picnic spot and a popular hangout zone. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). A senior official of the DDA said, the park’s premises will remain open to visitors, as it was earlier. The CZA issued the order cancelling Deer Park’s recognition as a ‘mini zoo’ on 8 June. “Rapid growth of population, inbreeding, the possibility of spread of disease and lack of trained manpower to maintain the mini zoo led to the decision,” an official source said. [caption id=“attachment_12799032” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will maintain the park as a protected forest. PTI[/caption] Now, forest departments of Rajasthan and Delhi shall take further action for the translocation of the deer, according to the source. “The Deer Park is a protected forest area and after the deer are shifted, it shall be maintained as a protected forest,” the source said. A senior official of the Rajasthan Forest department told Indian Express that the deer will be moved to reserves including the Mukundra and Ramgarh-Vishdhari tiger reserves, for “prey-base augmentation”. Continue to remain green belt According to the CZA’s order, “A meeting under the chairmanship of Dr Sanjay Kumar Shukla, Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority was held on 30 January, 2023, to deliberate on the proposal — ‘Shifting of deer and cancellation of recognition of A N Jha Deer Park’.” It was suggested that “since only about 600 animals are stated to be housed in the said zoo, upon cancellation, the captive animals shall be released in the natural habitat of the state of Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi in the ratio 70 per cent and 30 per cent respectively”, the order stated. The release shall comply with extant statutory provisions and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines for re-introduction and other conservation translocations, it said. A senior official of the CZA said it was assured by the authorities that the park will continue to “remain a green belt” and that it won’t be used for any construction activities. He added that before being shifted into the forest areas, the deer will be “quarantined” and only after it has been ascertained that they do not carry any disease, they will be moved there. With inputs from PTI Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.