SAMBALPUR: In a bid to keep tabs on tourists visiting the Wild Animal Conservation Centre (WACC) in the City, popularly known as Deer Park, the district administration had installed Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras on the premises recently.
Informing this, Range Officer of WACC Madan Lal Sharma said at least 10 CCTV cameras have been installed on the premises of the park at an estimated cost of about ` two lakh.
Sharma said the CCTV cameras have been installed to keep a watch on visitors, who harm and harass the wild animals housed in the enclosures.
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esides, the surveillance system will help ascertain whether the WACC staff are following the prescribed guidelines while feeding the animals. It will also monitor the activities of wild animals at the centre, he added.
Sources said some visitors gathering around the enclosures harass the animals by hurling fruits, food items and even small stones. The installation of cameras will help the WACC authorities in checking such undisciplined activities.
Located inside the City surrounded by lush green Brooks Hill, the centre was set up over 6 hectares (ha) of land in 1980. Later, 7.16 ha of land was added to the centre. The centre houses around 250 animals and birds of 22 species. To add attraction to the WACC, the only small zoo in Western Odisha, a beautiful garden has been developed inside the centre.
There are spotted deer, four-horned antelope, barking deer, sloth bear, wild boar, monkey, civet cat, python, peacock, parakeet, moorhen, duck and a number of exotic birds in the zoo. The WACC is a major attraction of the City and record number of people visit the place on Sundays and holidays while around 400 tourists regularly visit the zoo.
However, the zoo remains closed on Mondays for routine cleaning. A visitor has to pay a nominal amount of ` five for entry. Earlier, the WACC authorities had installed 34 solar lights on the premises.