Heating lamps to keep birds warm in Chandigarh’s aviary this winter

UT chief conservator of forests Debendra Dalai said they have been running trials to see which kind of heating lamps would work best inside these enclosures

With the plunging mercury in the city, UT forest department has decided to install heating lamps inside the Chandigarh Bird Park to keep the birds warm, said officials.

The first lady of India, Savita Kovind (in picture), had inaugurated the Chandigarh Bird Park on November 16. Extra precautions will be taken to ensure that birds don’t come in direct contact with the lamps, which are likely to raise the temperature inside the enclosures up to 10 degrees. (HT file photo)

UT chief conservator of forests Debendra Dalai said, “We have been running trials to see which kind of heating lamps would work best inside these enclosures. The lamps need to be of good quality to ensure no accidents take place and the final decision will be made in the next couple of days after which the heating lamps will be installed.”

Dalai added that extra precautions will be taken to ensure that birds don’t come in direct contact with the lamps, which are likely to raise the temperature inside the enclosures up to 10 degrees.

The department currently is also using clear polythene sheets to cover the sides and top of the enclosure from where the cold winds enter in order to keep the birds warm.

Over 60,000 visitors in first month at bird park

It has now been over a month since the first lady of India, Savita Kovind, inaugurated the Chandigarh Bird Park on November 16, and as per officials, over 60,000 people have visited the park ever since.

Dalai said, “On an average, we get 1,500 visitors on a weekday. The number goes over 5,000 on weekends. On a weekly basis, we are getting about 15,000 visitors here so it has been a great success with the locals and tourists alike.”

The facility remains closed on Monday and Tuesday, which Dalai said is due to the fact that Sunday remains one of their most popular days and the birds need another day to rest before they are ready for the visitors at the walk-through facility. As per the staff present there, the terrestrial birds’ enclosure has been the most popular and especially children enjoy this the most.

The bird park is spread over 6.5 acres in Nagar Van and comprises two small aviaries and two walk-through aviaries. It is open between 10am and 5pm from Wednesday to Sunday. There are 250 pairs of birds with 48 total species and subspecies and the main attractions are African Love Birds, Budgerigars, White Swan, Black Swan, Wood duck, Golden Pheasant, Yellow Golden Pheasant, Green Wing Macaw, Sun Conure, African Grey Parrot, Finches and Melanistic Pheasant.