Lekhnath to get international-standard zoo

Basudev Poudel (Pokhara) / May 31: Lekhnath, a place close to Pokhara which is popularly known as the city of tourism, will get an international-standard zoological garden if everything goes as planned.

Local people of Lekhnath Municipality have taken initiatives to this effect. They have collected money through ‘the Pokhara Festival’ being organised every year since 2067 BS, where 20 percent of the total collection will be saved up for this purpose.

On the initiatives of local United Club Pokhara and with the participation of local people, the construction works have started on 134 hectares of land belonging to community forests at the municipality wards-11, 12 and 13.

A wire net fence will be set up to separate wild animals in the park from direct contact with viewers.

Likewise, a children’s park, a fishing pond, a lake to operate boat and jungle safari among others are main attraction of the zoo.

The area is home to 134 types of wild animals and birds, 361 types of vegetation and 175 types of forest medicinal herbs.

The club chairman and coordinator of the Pokhara International Zoo construction committee Himalaya Bakhrel said that construction of around 100 meter-long way to the zoo is underway at the cost of around Rs 800,000.

He said that the estimated cost for the construction of the approach road costs around Rs 5 million.

While a wild animal conservation centre will be established, a place housing wild animals and birds from around the world will be created in the future, Bakhrel said.

The credit to start the project goes to the club, which is saving up 20 percent of the total collections from the Pokhara Festival held by the club to promote tourism in Pokhara.

The municipality and local people have also assisted with the project. Pachabhaiya Community Forest Users’ Group Chairman Man Bahadur Ghimire said that a team from the National Trust for Nature Conservation that reached to inspect the construction site suggested nationalising the forest area to be used for the zoo for the purpose.

Meanwhile, the project is believed to increase flow of tourists to Pokhara. Journalist Bishnu Hari Poudel said that establishment of the zoo would prolong the stay of tourists. RSS