The Tamil Nadu government has planned to set up a primary animal care centre in each district using MP MLA funds.
The development comes at a time when work on three rescue centres - at Tiruchi, Madurai, and Coimbatore - are already under progress. At the eighth State Wildlife Board meeting chaired by Forest Minister M. Mathiventhan on September 26, members raised the need for more primary care centres for animals.
The demand for rescue centres, not just in forest areas, is due to rapid urbanisation, according to Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests. Animals such as deer, peacock, monkey, all of which are protected species now, and snakes, are increasingly found injured in urban settings, she said.
The new centres will be meant for emergency or primary care for wildlife and are proposed to be set up using Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MLALAD) and Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) funds. The centres will come up especially in large forest areas, said Ms. Sahu.
Efforts to expedite sea turtle conservation was also discussed at the meeting. In January 2023, the government announced setting up of a sea turtle conservation centre in Chennai at ₹6.30 crore.
