After Sangai, Nishikant adopts State bird too

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 8 : Owner of The Sangai Express Nishikant Singh Sapam has announced today at Langol that he would adopt Nongins (the State bird of Manipur) .
It may be mentioned that The Sangai Express has already adopted the Sangais which are being kept at Sangai Conservation and Breeding Centre, Langol (Sangai Second Home).
Addressing a function held at Manipur Zoological Garden at Iroishemba today, Nishikant Singh stated that Sangai which has become critically endangered is dear to each and every Manipuri.
Sangai is the State animal of Manipur.
The owner of TSE, while handing over a cash incentive of Rs 3.76 lakh (cheque) for adopting Sangais at Langol to the Forest Department and Zoo authority, announced that he would adopt Nongins at Nongin Captive and Breeding Centre inside the Sangai Second Home.
Apart from adopting Sangais, Nishikant Singh also runs two businesses (The Sangai Express and Sangai Continental) by taking the name of the endangered deer species.
Nishikant also expressed contentment on adopting the Sangais at Langol and  said that he feels blessed.
Saying that he will adopt the State animal as long as he can, Nishikant expressed keen desire to increase the number of Sangais at its second home to at least  hundred (100).
"I started this venture at Langol when there were only fourteen (14) Sangais," he said and added that the number of the deer has now been increased to seventeen.
The number will soon be increased to 20, as three (3) of the seventeen (17) Sangais at Langol are pregnant, he said and exuded confidence the number will  rise gradually.  Notably, Nishikant is also providing honorarium to two tourist guides at Keibul  Lamjao National Park.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forests Force AK Joshi stated that Sangai which is endemic to Manipur is the rarest of the three eld's deer (sub species) found in the world.
Burmese Thamin and Siamensis deer which are found in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are also sub species of eld's deer, he informed.
As per the aerial survey of Keibul Lamjao by Dr MK Ranjit, then Deputy Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture in 1975, the number of Sangais was reported to be only fourteen (14).
The number has now increased to 250 as per the latest census.
It may be noted that Keibul Lamjao was given the National Park tag in 1977.
Saying that the captive breeding centre at Langol was opened under Manipur Zoological Garden considering the necessity of ex-situ conservation apart from in-situ conservation, AK Joshi added that captive breeding centre for Nongin at Langol, on the other hand, was opened in 2018.
Breeding Nongin is not an easy task as the bird is very sensitive (shy), he said.
AK Joshi further stated that feeding the animals kept at the Manipur Zoological Garden is at times difficult due to certain inconveniences such as non sanctioning of Director's funds on time .
Thanking Nishikant for his decision to adopt Nongin apart from Sangai, he expressed desire for him to consider adopting Hoolock Gibbon (Yongmu) and other animals at the zoo.
The PCCF also said that the Manipur  Zoological Garden, though small, is housing many animals which are included in the various schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act.
The authority is considering bringing in some new animals at the Manipur Zoological Garden by consulting with the Gujarat Zoo, Joshi maintained.
The programme was also attended by  Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) L Lukhoi; Deputy Conservator of Forest (Sanctuaries) Sanajaoba Khuraijam and Director of Manipur Zoological Garden L Birangol.
As a part of the programme, tree saplings were also planted inside the zoo compound.