10 ponds in Shivamogga zoo revived with support from SKDRDP under Namma Kaadu Namma Kere project

Shivamogga: The restoration of waterbodies within Shivamogga zoo at Tyavarekoppa has been completed. The initiative encompassed the revival of 10 ponds across the 250-acre zoo situated on the city outskirts.
The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) executed this initiative under the Namma Kaadu Namma Kere. These waterbodies are situated near spotted and barking deer enclosures, tiger areas, Indian gaur spaces, and the entrance. With recent climate variations affecting zoo animals, this restoration was necessary. The zoo completed desilting through collaboration with a public organisation.
MV Amarakshar, executive director of the zoo, told TOI, "We celebrated World Wildlife Day on March 3 with the theme of wildlife conservation and finance. We have support from govt for conservation. We should also get support from communities for the same."
"In terms of finance, moral support, or intellectual assistance, we need help from various organisations. We started a project of desilting the water holes. Our zoo is spread over 253.3 hectares and is adjacent to the Shettihalli wildlife area. We have a lot of artificial waterholes," he said.
‘Aim to store 5 crore litres of water'
"We have more than 400 animals in the zoo and need more water after the rainy season. During peak summer, creatures like tigers need a water bath. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project joined hands to desilt 10 waterholes in the zoo. We provide vehicles to transport the soil for the bunds within the zoo. The total pond area is estimated to be eight acres. We aim for 5 crore litres of water storage in the area," he explained.
SKDRDP's project engineer, Ganapathi, told TOI, "It is an innovative concept called Namma Kadu Namma Kere, and the first project was implemented in Shivamogga." "We desilted ten ponds with Rs 14 lakh," he added.