MEERUT: The forestChas proposed a wildlife rescue centre, along with a hospital, well-equipped rescue teams and recuperation cells at the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. Once completed, the project would be a first in Uttar Pradesh , said officials.Western UP zone chief forest conservator Mukesh Kumar said, "At present, there are two centres at Kanpur and Lucknow zoos, but we don't have a single one where wildlife actually thrives. Hastinapur wildlife sanctuary is rich in biodiversity, where we not only have animals such as deer, leopard, sambhar and elephants, but also dolphins, gharials, otter and turtles. And, there are several incidents when these animals get injured, but we don't have facility to provide them with immediate aid and have to send them to Kanpur."The forest department has proposed a centre in Hastinapur, because it is at the heart of the 2,074 sq km of the sanctuary along the Ganga.There have been several incidents when animals got hurt either due to man-animal conflict or animal-animal conflict. "For instance, a large number of hog deer stray into agricultural fields and once the harvest is over, they become soft target of dogs, and often get injured. Similarly, there have been several instances when leopards venture into villages and become victim of humans, but unfortunately we do not have any facility to provide them with medical assistance," said the official.The proposed rescue centre will also have adequate facilities for aquatic animals. Sanjeev Yadav , coordinator, aquatic biodiversity, WWF , said, "It is need of the hour. A rescue centre with proper rescue teams, veterinary medics, tranquilising apparatus will surely go a long way in animals' wellbeing here."

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