The Kanpur Zoological Park is focusing on promoting adoption of animals. The adoption scheme enables individuals, government/private organisations and NGOs to adopt animals inside the zoo and pay for their upkeep.
Thus, adoption has become an effective method to make people participate in conservation of wildlife. Besides, the cash helps the zoo to maintain its campus. However, the adoption scheme run by Kanpur zoo received a cold response from the people. In 2008-09, 10 animals were adopted by individuals. This number went down to a three in 2009-10. Only a pair of macaw, a lion and a peacock have been adopted in 2010-11, till date.
But the adoption of the white peacock by the NGO on Sunday and recent adoption of tiger cubs by a bank has again raised hope that more organisations would step forward for the cause. Kanpur zoo director K Praveen Rao said that the zoo administration looks forward to more such adoptions by the individuals and the organisations.