Darjeeling: In a first-of-its-king initiative in the country, the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, popularly known as Darjeeling Zoo in West Bengal, opened a bio-banking facility where biological samples will be stored to facilitate research of endangered species undertaken to aid the wildlife conservation in the state.
Director of Darjeeling Zoo, Basraj Holi said the biobank will store DNA, genome, and gametes of endangered and important species of animals. According to him, collections will be used to carry out research in the future and also be preserved for posterity.
Effects of climate change on animals causes and effects of mutation of animals, and organisms research on various topics including diversity can be done using those samples. Besides, the bodies and skeletons of dead animals will be preserved in that museum, a senior Zoo official said.
"With the approval of the Central Forest Authority's Consortium of Forest Officers and the collaboration of State Forest Departments, this biobank has been created following international guidelines. This is the first zoo in the country to have created a Biobank and museum. In this biobank, samples of various animals are collected and will be preserved, which will be used in various research fields in future," Holi said.
Effects of climate change on animals causes and effects of mutation of animals, and organisms research on various topics including diversity can be done using those samples. (ETV Bharat) This unique initiative by the zoo authorities has been welcomed by Kaustubh Choudhury, editor and animal expert of Salitari Nature and Adventure Foundation. He said, "This is an extraordinary initiative of the forest department. The first biobank in the country is being set up in Darjeeling. This bio-bank will be of immense use in the future. Important as well as almost extinct species biodiversity of animals, their mutations, effects of climate, causes of extinction, cases of diseases research can be done."
Darjeeling Zoo sources said that the Central Zoo has provided biobank samples. Research will be done in future with the approval of the authority. A speciality of the facility is that samples can be stored in the biobank for at least 40 to 45 years. In the first phase, about 20 specimens of nine species have been preserved, they said and added that body parts and skeletons of various mountain species have also been preserved in the museum.
The animal museum inside the Darjeeling Zoo (ETV Bharat) Along with the zoo, the museum has also been opened for tourists. There are about 19 animals of Darjeeling Zoo species, which includes animals like Red Panda, Snow Leopard, and Siberian Tiger. The zoo has already started the work of preserving the DNA, genome and gametes of those animals, sources added.