RESEARCH ON

FLORA AND FAUNA

[Based on National Zoological Park]

Abstract
All Creatures Are Deserving Of a Life Free From Fear and Pain
INTRODUCTION
 Flora - Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or
time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life.

 Fauna - Fauna is all of the animal life of any particular region or

time.

RELEVANCE OF FLORA and FAUNA:

Flora and fauna keep the ecological balance on planet Earth and without them the
human civilization would not have existed.

Flora is responsible for consuming carbon dioxide and generating oxygen, while
fauna is consuming the oxygen and releases carbon dioxide that is used by flora in
the photosynthesis process.

Humans consume the oxygen produced in the photosynthesis process and release
carbon dioxide exactly like fauna does, but flora and fauna represent a natural
resource of food and medicine for the human civilization here on planet Earth.

This is why is so important to keep flora and fauna in very good conditions
because our life on the planet depends pretty much on them.

Flora and fauna have a functional role on the planet, but also an aesthetic role
because with its natural beauty, the environment is helping us to get rid of stress.
BIODIVERSITY
‘Biodiversity is defined as “the variability among living organisms from all
sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and
the ecological complexes of which they are part; this
includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. ’

Biodiversity plays an important role in ecosystem functions that provide

supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural services.

Species composition matters as much or more than species richness when it comes
to ecosystem services.

Local or functional extinction, or the reduction of populations to the point that they
no longer contribute to ecosystem functioning, can have dramatic impacts
on ecosystem services. Changes in biotic interactions among species—predation,
parasitism, competition, and facilitation—can lead to disproportionately large,
irreversible, and often negative alterations of ecosystem processes.

ENDANGERD SPECIES:
An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as very likely to
become extinct.

EXTINCT SPECIES:
An extinction is the termination of an organism or of a group of organisms,
normally a species.
 HISTORY OF
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK,
NEW DELHI

The Delhi zoo came decades later after New Delhi was built. Although
the idea to have a zoo at the national capital was mooted in 1951, the
park was inaugurated in November 1959.
In 1952 the Indian Board for Wildlife created a committee to look into
creating a zoo for Delhi. The government of India was to develop the
zoo and then turn it over to Delhi as a working enterprise. In 1953 the
committee approved the location of the zoo, and in October 1955 it
assigned N. D. Bachkheti of the Indian Forest Service to oversee the
creation of the zoo.
Initially Major Aubrey Weinman of the National Zoological Gardens of
Sri Lanka was asked to help draw the plans for the zoo, but because he
was not available for the long term, Carl Hagenbeck of the Zoological
Garden of Hamburg was hired.
In March 1956, Hagenbeck presented a preliminary plan, which
included the recommendation to use moated enclosures for the new zoo.
The plan was modified as needed to account for local conditions, and
approved by the Indian government in December 1956.
By the end of 1959, the Northern part of the zoo was complete, and
animals which had been arriving for some time and which had been
housed in temporary pens were moved into their permanent homes. The
park was opened on 1 November 1959 as the Delhi Zoo. In 1982 it was
officially renamed to National Zoological Park, with hopes that it could
become a model for other zoos in the country.
RULES AND REGULATIONS

Regulation
 An application under Section 38H of the Act for recognition of a
zoo shall be made to the Central Zoo Authority in Form A.

 On and after the commencement of the Wild Life Amendment Act,

2002, a Zoo shall not be established without obtaining the prior
approval of the authority.

 The Central Zoo Authority shall grant recognition with due regard
to the interests of protection and conservation of wildlife standards
and norms.

Rules
 No Zoo shall acquire any animal which is out of the Act or rules
made under Amendment Act, 2002.

 No Zoo shall allow any animal to be subjected to the cruelties as

defined under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 or
permit any activity that exposes the animals to unnecessary pain,
stress or provocation, including use of animals for performing
purposes.

 No Zoo shall keep any animal chained unless doing so is essential

for its own well-being.

 No Zoo can use any animal as a vehicle.

 No Zoo shall exhibit any animal that s seriously sick, injured or
infirm.

 Zoo shall be encompassed by a perimeter wall at least two meters

high from the ground level. The existing Zoos will continue to
have chain link fence of appropriate design and dimensions.
 The built up area in any zoo shall not exceed 25% of the total
area of zoo. The built up area includes administrative buildings,
stores, hospitals, restaurants, visitors rest etc.

 No Zoo shall have residential complexes for the staff within the
main campus of the zoo.

 No zoo shall acquire, sell or transfer any wild animal or captive animal
specified in Schedules I and II except with the previous permission of the
Authority

 No person shall tease, molest, injure or feed any animal or cause

disturbance to the animals by noise or otherwise, or litter the grounds in a
zoo.
 RESEARCH FROM
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL
PARK, NEW DELHI

MAMMALS:
 Black Buck.
 White Buck.
 Asiatic Lion.
 Sloth Bear.
 Jackal.
 Palm Civet.
 Leopard.
 Chinkara.
 Deer Brow.
 Hoolock Gibbon.
 Lion Tailed Macaque.
 One-horned rhinoceros.
 Royal Bengal Tiger.
 Himalayan Black Bear.
 Indian Porcupine.
 Jaguar.
 Zebra.
 Wolf.
 African Cape buffalo.
 Chimpanzee.
 African Elephant.
 Giraffe.
 Hippopotamus and many more.

BIRDS:
 Hornbill Indian Great.
 Hornbill Grey.
 Peafowl (White).
 Spoonbill White.
 Eagle Crested Serpant.
 Eagle Stappee.
 Egret Little.
 IBIS White.
 Eagle Crested Serpent.
 Egret Little.
 Kite.
 Heron Grey.
 Munia Black Headed.
 Munia Green.
 Myna Hill.
 Owl Barn.
 Parakeet Large Indian.
 Pheasant Kalij Indian.
 Shikra.
 Stork Painted.
 Vulture White.

REPTILES:
 Indian Star Tortoise.
 Indian Rock Python.
 Dhaman / Common Rat Snake.
 Indian Cobra.
 Diadem Snake.
 Indian Sand Boa.
 Dog-Faced Water Snake.
 Monitor Lizard.
 Gharial
 Marsh Crocodile
 Diadem Snake.
 Indian Star Tortoise.
 Spectacled Caiman.
 Indian Mud Turtle.
 Indian Sand Boa
 Common Rat Snake.
OBSERVATIONS:
Delhi Zoo’s enclosure are very large and acceptable, while others are
inadequate and fail to satisfy even the basic biological and behavioral
needs of the animals they contain in those cages.
It seems extremely odd that single animals like the White Tiger and
Hoolock Gibbon have been living in isolation without much intervention
from Central Zoo Authority.
The Water utensils of birds are empty most of the time. It is true that the
condition of animals in certain zoo parks is deplorable. Animals in zoo
depend mainly with the zookeepers but when they fail to do their job,
then the condition of the animals become pathetic. We need to avoid
human encroachments near these type of areas and if these animals live
in a sanctuary their conditions might become better.
Every time I visit that place, I find that place becoming more dull and
poorly managed than before. I have visited the Lucknow and Jaipur zoos
too, and frankly speaking Delhi zoo was way behind. Delhi zoo has a
large area but it is simply pathetically managed. I think being the
national capital, Delhi at least deserves a better zoo.
Educational efforts are nominal with signboards predominating. There
was no indication of any organized keeper talks or audio-visual laws.
While the conservation value of the Zoo is questionable, it should be
commended for cooperating with animal welfare organizations and
taking in for animals.
SIZE: Large enclosures for herbivore, some cages are small
SAFETY: People observed feeding animals and climbing the boundary
of the Alligator or Tiger. Such actions could result in death or any other
major accidents.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. The authorities must look into it. If they have a suggestion of
complaint book, the visitors must use that to put their suggestions
and complaints. I believe that such complaint / suggestion books
should be placed at prominent places not only in the zoo parks but
also at other places used by general public like gardens, parks,
museums, libraries etc.

2. These books should be periodically checked by the chief

executives who manage these places and errors and mistakes
rectified and the culprits should be punished accordingly.

3. The intelligent public who visits these places should immediately

write letter to the concerned authorities in this regard.

4. The letters to the editors of the newspapers and the electronic

media executives will also help to make the authorities aware of
such happenings.
 5. Signboards should be improved.

6. The Elephants should not be kept in chains and should be allowed

free movements in their area.

7. The Zoo should stop breeding those animals which are already in
surplus situation.

CONCLUSION:
Zoos are important for education and conservation and bio-diversity.
You have created safe habitats for seven animals in order to save City
Zoo!

Animals all have their own habitat needs in order that they are healthy,
live long lives, and have babies! When they live in zoos, animals need to
live in habitats as similar to their natural habitats as possible to be happy
and healthy. They need special diets that are much like their natural
diets, fun and challenging activities in their day, and experts to handle
and care for them.

Delhi Zoo appears to have a reasonably good standard of animal housing

and husbandry. There are however, some problematic areas which need
to be improved and Zoo’s Authority should give focus in these areas to
provide a better and healthy habitat to animals.