Surat: In an effort to increase herbivore population in the wild especially in and around Vansda National Park, seven more spotted deer were soft released on Saturday. The animals from the park’s deer breeding centre was released in presence of state minister Ganpatsinh Vasava.
“Till now many animals — 36 are spotted deer and 3-4 horned antelope — have been released in the wild successfully and on Saturday seven more spotted deer were soft released which will be released in the wild later,'' Nilesh Pandya, deputy conservator of forests, Dang (south) division, told TOI.
The VNP, which falls under the Dang (South) forest division, is spread over 23.99 sq km and is situated on a hilly terrain with moderate altitudes. These hills are extension of Sahyadri range. The Park represents northern part of Western Ghats in Gujarat. “We have so far recorded seven types of carnivores with the top predator of the park being leopard and three more species of deer. There are 150 species of birds, 121 species of spiders, 45 species of butterflies and 25 species of reptiles officially recorded in the park,” Pandya added.