Jaldapara set to get state-of-the-art veterinary hospital

Alipurduar: Jaldapara is set to have a state-of-the-art veterinary hospital. A proposal has been sent to the state Forest department for building this advanced facility. The construction of the hospital will commence upon receiving approval from the department and it is expected that the hospital could be operational within the next two years.

Navojit De, Assistant Wildlife Warden at Jaldapara National Park, stated: “We have already submitted a proposal for a hospital to the state Forest department following the necessary procedures. Further steps will be taken once approval is received.”

According to sources from the Jaldapara Forest Division, Kolkata's Beleghata currently has the most modern animal hospital in the state. The Jaldapara hospital is planned to be modeled after this facility. In addition to serving Jaldapara, the hospital will also cater to rescued and sick wild animals from the Buxa Tiger Reserve and Gorumara National Park. Although Bengal Safari in Siliguri has a hospital, it lacks the latest medical infrastructure. The plan is to fully modernise the Jaldapara hospital. While the treatment of large animals like wild elephants and bison may not be feasible directly within the hospital, smaller animals such as leopards, various species of deer, snakes, birds, reptiles and other small wild animals will be easily treated.

The facility will offer round-the-clock surveillance for sick wildlife, with special rooms for each species and surgical procedures available. Additionally, there will be a separate area for autopsies. The proposed site for the hospital is near the Jaldapara Nature Interpretation Centre.

Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts, which have extensive forest areas, boast some of the highest animal diversity in the country. However, since Independence, there has been no modern infrastructure to treat wild animals in these regions.

Experts emphasise that the death of a wild animal is a significant loss not only to Jaldapara but to the entire country. Like humans, wildlife also requires medical treatment and it is crucial to establish such hospitals promptly.