Tata Steel zoological park becomes abode of butterflies- Jamshedpur Butterfly garden

Tata Steel zoological park becomes abode of butterflies
Submitted by rashmijsr on Sat, 2008-02-23 07:25. General

Jamshedpur, Feb. 21: Much on the lines of the butterfly parks down south,
a separate enclosure for the colourful creatures was inaugurated today at
Tata Steel Zoological Park.

Inaugurated by Sanjiv Paul, the managing director of Jamshedpur Utilities
Services Company, the Butterfly Park is a gift of the Tata Steel
Zoological Park authorities to the citizens of Jamshedpur in the centenary
year of Tata Steel.

There are around 135 butterflies of five species in the 3,500sqft park.
Located close to Machan area on the zoo premises, the park has been
divided into two separate sections.

If one room has been earmarked to breed species under controlled
temperatures, another houses the main display section open for public
viewing. ?We have got close to 21 species of butterflies in and around the
city. Of these, five species have been identified for proper breeding at
the laboratory,? said M.S. Jain, the director of Tata Steel Zoological
Park.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 lakh, the zoo authorities have spent
close to seven months in pursuit of the species to be housed at the park.
Given the shape of an arch, the huge enclosure is well covered by an agro
net. The park is built with an objective to preserve rare varieties of
butterflies and increase their numbers.

The specially designed park has a presence of close to 13 varieties in the
display section. The varieties available at the laboratory are the Common
Mormon, Common Crow, Plain Tiger, Lemon and Castor breeds.

Surviving on a life cycle of 45 days, a lot of larvae are currently being
bred in the laboratory section. Inside the laboratory are a host of plants
with all the specific requirements to help the butterflies multiply fast.

?Food has been separately arranged for all the species as each one of them
survive on a different plant,? said Jain.

There are some bright plastic flowers on which a cotton dipped in honey is
kept at the centre which adds to the show and provides sustenance for the
butterflies.

Work on the park had begun way back last September with tribal artists
from nearby villages being engaged to paint butterflies in bright colours
on the walls of the enclosure.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080222/jsp/jharkhand/story_8932576.jsp

Meet the butterfly woman - Yahoo! India News

Meet the butterfly woman - Yahoo! India News: "Meet the butterfly woman

Wed, Mar 12 01:10 AM

Jamshedpur: When the tourists arrive at Butterfly Park in Jamshedpur to take a close look at the hundreds of the winged wonders flitting across flowers in their cages, they more often than not come across a spindly woman moving diligently in the enclosures checking out the foliage there. She checks the leaves and the flowers, collects a few samples and then moves on.

Meet Malti Majhi - the tribal woman who shoulders the responsibility of breeding butterflies for the Tata zoo. A dedicated worker, Malti devotes her time wholeheartedly for the breeding of the winged creatures.

She collects eggs found on the leaves of the vegetation in the park and transfers them to small baskets at a larvae-breeding chamber. When the larvae grow into pupae, she shifts them to the butterfly breeding house.

It is her responsibility to see that the creepy larvae take the right food at the breeding house. For this, she arranges for over a dozen species of green plants.

She also prepares a mixture of honey and water in the right proportion for the butterflies to feed on. The cycle of breeding eggs to putting butterflies for exhibition has to go on without a break.

And she does it with a smile on her face. The Tata zoo management has even"

DNA - India - Butterfly park opened in Kerala - Daily News & Analysis

DNA - India - Butterfly park opened in Kerala - Daily News & Analysis: "Butterfly park opened in Kerala
Agencies
Saturday, February 23, 2008 23:38 IST

In a move to develop eco-tourism, the park has around 135 species

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In another initiative to add a new feather to Kerala’s eco-tourism cap, a butterfly safari park has been opened to public at Thennmala Eco-Tourism project in Kollam district.

The park, set up with an estimated cost of Rs 24 lakhs was designed by Kerala Forest Research Institute with the help of Thennmala Eco-Tourism Promotion Society over 3.5 hectares which has a natural habitat for various species of butterflies.

“This will be the first of its kind in the country as in other butterfly parks, butterflies are kept in nets. Here, the people will be able to see butterflies in natural habitat,” Eco-Tourism Director TP Narayanan Kutty said.

Nearly 135 different species of butterflies including the rare and endemic ‘Autumn Leaf Butterfly’ have been sighted in the park and its periphery, he said. However, the director said butterfly sighting was seasonal. The lifespan of some varieties of butterfly was only four days and in some other case it"

Bandra gets city’s first butterfly park

Vithal Kamat, executive chairman and managing director of The Orchid, who inaugurated this unique park said, “The main idea behind this project is to provide citizens a place which can act as a stress buster besides educating them about beautiful creatures like butterflies.”

The hospitality group has a full-fledged vermin-culture and horticulture department. Since it is becoming extremely difficult to spot butterflies in the city, this group carried a study to ascertain the conditions that assist in breeding of butterflies. Following this, the team planted plants like Lantana, Lila, Exora Singapur, Exora deffi, Hibicus Hawai, Nerium Oliandar, Sunflower, Cassia, Ficus etc.

An official associated with the group said, “Apart from opening such parks, we are also looking at the options of maintaining traffic islands and space below the flyover through eco-friendly initiatives.” The group is planning several other eco-friendly projects in the western suburbs. The official added, “In fact, we have plans to open study centers, which would be helpful for students who are cramped for spaces in Mumbai. Besides, we are also planning to provide facilities at such places to budding talent who want to hone their skills in sculpting.”

Anil Deshmukh, State Public Works Minister, while lauding the efforts requested the group to beautify the flyover structure. “They can take a leaf of out of history and use them as themes to decorate our flyovers”.

Kamat said, “The idea behind making this butterfly park is to make the city beautiful. The city has given us so much; this is our way of returning back to the city. The government has also been very cooperative in our venture and we plan to construct a few other such gardens with the government’s support in the near future.”

(http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=70&contentid=2008070820080708143500248441f5d13&pageno=1#)

The Hindu Business Line : TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur

The Hindu Business Line : TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur: "TNAU setting up butterfly park at Vandalur

Our Bureau

Coimbatore, March 5 The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Coimbatore is to set up a butterfly garden with insect museum at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur in Chennai.

Being promoted under a scheme of the Tamil Nadu Government’s Department of Tourism and Culture, the proposed butterfly garden will have a host of plants and habitats landscaped (such as bushes, lianas, streams, waterfall, rock-gardens) to facilitate exhibiting butterflies in their natural settings.
Host plants

It will also have larval and adult host plants to maintain various stages of the butterflies. The garden will have a network of ponds interconnected by streams to maintain humidity in the area and have suitable amenities for the visitors including resting places and counters selling theme pamphlets, curios, models/charts/paints of butterflies.

The move is aimed at conserving nature.
Insect species

According to Dr R. Samiyappan, Director, Centre for Plant Protection Studies, TNAU, the insect museum to come up at the entrance of the garden, will have common Indian species of all insects in the form of preserved specimens and photographs and have an art gallery that will depict images of Indian butterflies including those of endangere"