Manipur Zoo opens veterinary hospital, slow loris enclosure

IMPHAL: Forest and environment minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar on Wednesday inaugurated an enclosure of slow loris and a new veterinary hospital at the Manipur zoological garden in Imphal West.
Along with veterinary surgeons and animal attendants to take care of the medical needs of the animals, the veterinary hospital houses an operation theatre, an X-ray room, an examination room, a laboratory, a sterile room,a doctor's room, a staff room, and an inpatient ward for herbivores and quarantine rooms for carnivores.
The enclosure for slow loris has three paddock areas as animal display areas of 150 sq mts each to meet the animal's biological requirements and movements. Each paddock contains arrangements for the slow loris to avoid direct interaction with visitors and protect itself from aggression of other animals.
The enclosure also contains a night shelter, a kraal, and a keeper's gallery.
The minister said the new hospital has provisions to shift the animal to the inpatient ward or isolate them for further monitoring and treatment depending upon the severity of the illness.The quarantine unit will accommodate newly acquired animals and animals suspected of carrying contagious diseases. The minister added that he was hopeful that the veterinary hospital would be able to conduct routine health checks of all the animals in the zoo.
Stressing on the importance of biodiversity on human lives, the minister also appealed to the people to protect and preserve wildlife in the state.