Visakhapatnam:
A butterfly park, the first of its kind in the state, will soon be an additional attraction at Indira Gandhi Zoological gardens in Vizag. The enclosure, which would also function as a base lab and slated to be thrown open to the public in the next couple of months, would house about 20 to 50 species of butterflies and is being constructed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.
Elaborating on the need for a butterfly enclosure, curator G Ramalingam said apart from being eye catchers, butterflies play a major role in establishing pollination patterns.
Moreover, he pointed out that the main reason for the enclosure was to enable study of the butterfly species native to the Eastern Ghats. The first such butterfly enclosure in India came up in Pune in 2006 and today, there are six other such enclosures in the country.
While the existing butterfly enclosures are on the west coast and the Himalayan region, the one at Vizag would be the only such center in the entire east coast. Three of the seven enclosures are situated on the west coast, in Goa, Thane and Pune while the others are situated in Simla, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Rangrang (Sikkim). Speaking on the concentration of enclosures in these areas, Dr Ramalingam noted, “It is believed that the Himalayan and Western Ghats region have a varied and larger range of butterflies. However, that does not mean that the Eastern Ghats should be neglected. It is precisely for this reason that the enclosure that is coming up would also function as a base research lab. The lab would help us catalogue and decipher the local species and also take note of any Diaspora and cross migration.” While India is home to 1501 species of butterflies, 250 of these are found in the Eastern Ghats alone.
The enclosure on 500 square meters to begin with, would include butterfly species such as the Plain tiger, Blue tiger, Indian crow, striped tiger, Tawny Coster, Common Leopard, Indian Red Admiral, Swallow tails and Metal marks. The curator was of the view that the enclosure would attract one and all, from children to Lepidopterists.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / August 12th, 2012