It was a treat to watch Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holding a leopard cub in his arms and feeding it milk from a bottle during his visit to the Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur on Wednesday afternoon.

The chief minister visited the zoological park on the occasion of National Dolphin Day held as part of Wild Animals Week 2022.

Within minutes, the chief minister made friends with the seemingly reluctant cub as he tolerated its tantrums smilingly, but insisted quietly on feeding it. The chief minister named the two leopard cubs, one of which was rescued three months ago, as Bhavani and Chandi. The chief minister also interacted with the zoo officials, including doctors, to enquire about the health of the animals.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that animals were friendly with him because they had the instinct to understand who could harm them and who would not.

He said that vulture conservation centres would be developed in Maharajganj, Chitrakoot and Gorakhpur as this species was on the verge of extinction.

“Life cycle must follow the laws of nature,” he remarked, emphasising the need for people to behave responsibly towards nature and protection of animals.

“In Ramayana there is Aranya kand, which encapsulates the entire story of the epic. Monkeys, bears, rivers, trees and stones become Lord Ram’s friend, when he is clueless about the whereabouts of Maa Sita after she is abducted by Ravan,” the he said.

The chief minister also honoured several forest officers on the occasion for their commendable work in saving and conserving wild animals. He talked about his experience with 15-month-old tigress Gita that was released to an enclosure from the cage and the rhinos brought from Assam which were rescued from Maharajganj.

Referring to the efforts of the state government for wildlife conservation and eco-tourism, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the process of starting the state's first night safari in Lucknow was being expedited.

“It will promote eco-tourism, inculcate a sense of respect for wildlife, and provide entertainment,” he said, adding that the knowledge of children would also increase.

The chief minister said that the government had already announced plans to develop a tiger reserve at Ranipur in Chitrakoot district where Lord Ram spent most of his time in exile while proposals related to eco-tourism had been approved in Bijnor and Ramnagar.

Besides, he said, the government was setting up rescue centres for wildlife at places like Maharajganj, Meerut, Chitrakoot, Pilibhit.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the government was also sensitive about the conservation of aquatic life and the Namami Gange project was helping a lot in this. He said that earlier 14 crore litres of sewage used to be released into the river Ganga in Sisamau of Kanpur Nagar every day, whereas now not even a drop was falling in the river from there due to the Namami Gange project.

“Now the place where the sewage fell (in the river) has become a selfie point. Similarly, due to the discharge of leather industry waste in Jajmau, aquatic creatures had become almost extinct. However, now a large number of aquatic creatures have started appearing in the river.

Speaking about dolphins in the river Ganga, the chief minister said that the government had selected the area of Nishadraj, a dear friend of Lord Shri Ram, for its conservation. He said that now dolphins had started appearing in the Ganga in Kashi also and assured of all possible steps for the conservation of dolphins.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also directed the Forest Department to set up a separate cadre of veterinary officers for the treatment and protection of wildlife.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Forest, Environment, Zoological Park and Climate Change, Dr Arun Kumar Saxena and Gorakhpur’s Member of Parliament Ravikishan were also present on the occasion.

Saxena said the government would soon start the facility of jungle safari in Sohagi Barwa area of Maharajganj.

It is worth mentioning here that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Gorakhpur Zoo on March 27, 2021.