Gurgaon: Sultanpur National Park gets five battery carts for visitors

On the occasion, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar opened a photo exhibition of domestic and migratory birds that visit the national park every year. This exhibition will continue for a week.

The Wildlife Week, which started on October 2, concluded on Monday at the Sultanpur National Park, located 15km from the city.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar takes a ride in one of the newly launched battery carts at the Sultanpur National Park on Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

On the occasion, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar opened a photo exhibition of domestic and migratory birds that visit the national park every year. This exhibition will continue for a week.

With a view to protect the birds from visitors, five battery carts were also launched by the chief minister.

“This battery carts will help manage crowd at the park. The government will take all steps to ensure safety of birds and animals in the region,” Khattar said.

The photo exhibition has on display the photographs of more than 100 birds that visit the park. The pictures were clicked by wildlife photographers.

Khattar also honoured dignitaries who have proactively contributed to wildlife conservation.

The wildlife department officials said they are working on multiple projects to raise awareness among residents about the importance of wildlife.

“The visitors will be guided by a staff member who will inform them about the birds and the ecology. We have barricaded a 1.5km stretch as the ‘Duck Point’ to ensure that visitors do not go deep into the core areas,” Vinod Kumar, conservator of wildlife, south Haryana, said.

Every year, more than 30,000 birds from different parts of the country and also from Europe, Russia, China and the Gulf countries visit the park during winter.

These birds include waders (water dependent birds), ducks (require slightly deeper water) and warblers (prefer reeds).

The birds that were spotted last season include pallid scops, Asian brown flycatcher, Cetti’s warbler, Tickell’s leaf warbler, ashy headed green pigeon, grey headed fish eagle, smoky warbler, grey hooded warbler, jungle nightjar, spotted crake and lesser florican.

Some of the very rare birds that were spotted in the park last season include song thrush, brown breasted flycatcher, scaly thrush, Lesser white fronted goose, white-tailed eagle, yellow legged buttonquail, brown capped pygmy woodpecker, white capped redstart and the grey-headed lapwing.