Red Muntjacs, also known as barking deer or rib-faced deer, can be seen in Raniban in Pokhara, Kaski district. Native to South and Southeast Asia, they are small deer of the genus Muntiacus.
Gandaki Province Forest, Environment and Land Conservation Minister Bikas Lamsal had released a pair of Red Muntjacs at a rescue centre constructed by the Phewa Sub-Division Forest Office on the banks of the Fewa Lake.
The Division Forest Office Kaski has just completed the construction of the wildlife rescue centre in Raniban at a cost of Rs. 1.8 million. The one-and-a-half-year-old female and the seven-year-old male were rescued and brought from the Wildlife Rescue Centre at Pachghaiya in Tanahun district.
Stating that the wildlife rescue centre will be made systematic, Minister Lamsal informed that various rare animals within the province will be protected and managed in an effort to lure in more tourists.
He also expressed his commitment to developing the rescue centre as an attractive destination. The ministry has a plan to set up wildlife rescue centres in all the 11 districts of the province, he said. “Now, the treated wild animals from the rescue centre will be kept within the province instead of sending them out,” he informed.
Stating that preparations are being made to develop the community forest groups of the country as a breeding ground for various wild animals, he said that emphasis would be laid on tourism development and protection of forest environment by creating a natural breeding and rearing ground for wild animals.
Kedar Baral, chief of the Division Forest Office, Kaski, said that there was a lack of infrastructure, technology and human resources required for the conservation of forests and wildlife. He also stressed the need for coordination among the three levels of government to make the conservation effort more systematic and effective.
According to Baral, 30,000 plants of different species are being produced in the nursery established at the forest office, and the dilapidated building housing forest protection department has been repaired at a cost of Rs. 400,000.
According to Binay Adhikari, manager of Pachghaiya Animal Rescue Center, the rescue centre currently houses 15 species of wild animals, including deer, Leopard cat, wild cat, Vulture Swallow, Fox, Water and Dry Turtles. An ambulance has also been arranged at the centre to rescue the injured wild animals.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
