Mysuru: A National Conference of all the Directors of Zoos and Biological Parks of India will be held at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza in Mysuru on Jan. 18 and 19. The Conference will be jointly organised by the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), Mysuru Zoo and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The event will be inaugurated by Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department Jawaid Akhtar and will be presided over by ZAK Chairman M. Shivakumar.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Raj Kishore Singh, Member-Secretary, CZA, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Shukla and Member-Secretary, ZAK, B.P. Ravi will be the chief guests.

All the Zoo Directors across the country have been invited and the Conference will discuss the Zoo Master Plan, protection and conservation of wildlife habitats, captive animal breeding and other issues.

There will be crucial sessions on ‘Transition of Indian Zoos: Ancient to Modern’, elements of Zoos, modern take on zoo design, designing an exclusive safari, disaster management plans and a way forward for the development of Indian Zoos.

The delegates will deliberate on disease surveillance and preventive measures in captive animals, the importance of disease surveillance in cross-boundary animal shipment and procedures involved in formulating animal health certificates for international animal movements and veterinary care and population control of herbivores.

In addition, the delegates will be taken on a comprehensive visit to the Mysuru Zoo and there will be a session on landscape architecture with special reference to aviaries, immersive enclosures, moated, covered, open enclosures and walk-through enclosures and a session on the role of Zoos in wildlife research.