AGARTALA, July 14 (TIWN): The Sepahiala wild life sanctuary is fast becoming jungle owing to the negligence of the forest department. The number of visitors to the zoo has drastically declined over the last few months.

The sanctuary is of 18.53 square kilometers, has been developed both as a wildlife sanctuary and as an academic and research centre. About 150 species of birds live in the sanctuary, and migratory birds visit in winter. Initiated in 1972 the Sanctuary has five sections carnivores, primates, ungulates, reptiles, and aviary. There are several lakes: the Abasarika and Amrit Sagar lakes.

This is the only zoo in India located within a wildlife sanctuary, the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. A portion of the sanctuary was also declared Clouded Leopard National Park. It is to be mentioned here that in a case of gross negligence on the part of veterinary doctors, animals are dying regularly. 

Because of the lack of infrastructure, the Wild life sanctuary is losing its glory day by day. Repairing work is pending. The environment centers round the sanctuary is purely becoming unhygienic. The dead skeleton of the animals are scattering here, which stopped the tourists from entering to the wonderful scenery of the nature. On the other hand, the food provided to the animals is not up to the level. That’s why the condition of the animals living here has become weak and in the recent days many of them had lost their lives because of poor quality of foods.

Meanwhile Krishna Gopal Roy director of Sepahijala informed that they have got the necessary approvals for the animal exchange programme from the Central Zoo Authority. Last year Visakhapatnam's Indira Gandhi Zoological Park and the Sepahijala Zoo had also exchanged animals. Sepahijala Zoo, is one of India's 22 large zoos.