Soaring temperatures are affecting not just the people of the city, but also swarms of delicate creatures that flutter around at the Butterfly Park in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park.
The park, inaugurated in May last year, is gearing up with measures to protect the 24 species of butterflies that are housed inside the area.
Speaking to The Hindu , zoo curator G. Ramalingam said that a green house was being made to protect the butterflies from the harsh summer heat.
“This will be ready in the next few days. The green house effect will maintain the required temperature of 25 degree inside the meshed enclosure,” he said.
While a few species such as the Spot Swordtail and Common Bluebottle are seen throughout the year, high temperatures cast a shadow on the lifespan of most other butterflies.
For the first time, the protected species of Crimson Rose, which is listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, has been introduced in the park. Among the other new additions is the Tailed Jay.
In order to protect the species and larvae from predators such as ants, a team of biologists and butterfly researchers are working on the Butterfly Park project with a view to collecting the larvae and do captive propagation.
Endangered species“There are 152 species of butterflies in the Vizag region and more than 10 species are endangered. Our team looks around the zoo park and other areas for new butterfly species so that we can introduce new species and work towards conserving them,” said Mohan Asinti, a student of B.V.K. College, who is part of the young team working on butterflies.
Among the other rare and endangered species at the park are the Danaid Eggfly, Common Pierrot, and Guablue.
The park has been attracting scores of school students this season. What makes it interesting for the students is the educational tour offered by the young team of biologists and butterfly researchers, who offer interesting bits of information on butterflies.
