Adopt an animal at this zoo and get fame
new delhi — The Dehradun zoo was earlier known as Malsi Deer Park, for the simple reason that it hosted mostly deer. The park is on the outskirts of the Dehradun city, on the way to Mussoorie, a mountain resort in Uttarakhand, North India.
The Zoo is no longer meant just for deer. Leopards, turtle, blue buck, emu and crocodiles are having a good time at the zoo. And if you are an animal lover, you could adopt one. The zoo officials are looking for finances to develop the 25 hectare park. The government allocation is not enough to meet their plans. They have now hit upon the idea of adoption.
Accordingly, they have drafted a proposal: anyone who adopts an animal at the zoo and provides for its upkeep will have his/her name displayed outside the adopted animal’s enclosure. They have guaranteed there would be no spelling mistakes.
But cross-branded fame is not the only attraction. The adopters, the zoo officials propose, should be eligible for income tax rebate. The zoo authorities have already sent a request to that effect to the Income Tax department.
The scheme has already drawn a few interested parties. Though the tax part of the proposal is yet to be approved, the fame part is in force. Some people have adopted animals, and their names, though the respective animals can’t make out even if they are displayed inside, hang outside the cages for all to see. The zoo director PK Patro explains how the scheme works: “Those who bear the food expenditure of the animals will get 50% income tax rebate on it. In a few other zoos like Nainital Zoo or Kanpur Zoo, animal adopters do have such benefits. Once the Income Tax department gives their approval, the adopters will get rebate certificates from us and they could produce them at the time when they file their returns. We hope to see many people come forward and help us make the zoo a better place for animals.”
Though the adopted animals may not know their benefactors — and they would be well advised to expect no special gesture of appreciation from their wards — what could be better than your name associated with a leopard or crocodile? Or a turtle or an emu?