City zoo mulls to rope in new pvt firms, PSUs for animal adoption

By Dillip Pradhan

Bhubaneswar: The much innovative ‘adopt-an-animal’ programme designed by the Nanandankanan zoological park six years ago is going to be more pulsating as the zoo authorities have planned to sensitize the scheme among the corporate bodies especially the fresh entrepreneurs venturing Odisha market and other private social and academic organisations.

“The new corporate houses may not aware of the tax benefit scheme. So, we are planning to knock their door to persuade them to be part of wild life conservation apart from approaching the old big corporate bodies, academic institutions and private organizations”, Assistant director of Nanandakanan Zoo Kamal Lochan Purohit said.

The innovative programme was launched in 2008 in a bid to garner public involvement for the cause of wild life especially the endangered species. In the initial year, the scheme had attracted a number of individual animal lovers, and private organizations while in the successive year it has become lethargic due to lack of public campaign.

During last three years, it has been seen that only a handful of individual have adopted some animals while the big corporate houses whose number is growing in the State are not much aware about the programme. “The idea is really good for the cause of wild life. But, a mass campaign is required to make corporate house aware” JSPL vice-president (CSR wing) Prashant Hota said adding if the government would apprise us every year, we will try to do something for the noble cause”.

Zoo sources said,the Nandankanan got only around three takers mostly individuals during the 2011-12 while the following session was able to entice six takers including one public sector nationalized bank. About six adopters including one Indian origin USA citizen were attracted by the scheme in 2013-14.

The adopters, apart from getting complimentary gate-pass to visit zoo and invitation as honorary guests for all in house zoo functions, would be mostly benefited from payment of tax under Section 80G of Indian Income Tax Act, sources added.