Latest news with #SarikaKhot
Time of India
24-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Left for dead, 180-yr-old banyan tree thrives after transplantation
Nagpur: After seeing 180 years of life go by, the massive banyan tree near Katol Road Square lay on the brink of 'death' as decades of construction and concretization in its periphery choked off vital resources. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It was just after the monsoon in 2023 that the tree lay tilted, with an imminent end to an almost two-century-old life. But as the famous dialogue of the 1970s hit movie Anand goes – Anand Maraa Nahi, Anand Marte Nahi (Anand is not dead, Anands don't die) – this banyan had a different script written for its long dangling roots and branches. Swacch Association, an NGO from the city, kick-started the process of giving this 'Anand' a new lease of life with help from Gorewada zoo. Fast forward to June 2025, and this banyan tree is blooming with a 'second life', well settled in its new home at the Gorewada zoo, courtesy of a high-quality tree transplantation process by officials. Sarika Khot, assistant manager at Gorewada zoo, said, "Only after 1.5 years of transplantation can we say whether or not it was successful. When a tree is uprooted, it goes into shock, just like humans who meet with a serious accident. Like humans in the ICU, trees have to be taken care of daily till they reach a stage of self-sustainability." For the banyan tree, the trailer carrying it took hours to complete the journey of 9km because of the tree's size and weight. Khot said, "I am lucky that my seniors back me completely, due to which I was able to get the resources for scientifically planning everything. For the banyan tree transplantation, we had to bring JCBs, cranes, trailers, and a lot of labour force. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The transplant site was a 12-foot hole which was over 15 feet in diameter. " The site was prepared using a mix of organic manure and fungicide to ward off infections. "An entire day was consumed just getting the transplantation done because the tree had to be held at a specific angle by the cranes while JCBs filled mud around it," said Khot. The zoo, which functions under the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), is now becoming a 'hospital' for trees that were either getting cut or uprooted. Here, the green oxygen-exhaling patients range from mere one-year-olds to almost 200 years, and the scientific approach in not only transplantation but also their care means the survival ratio is high. As for the banyan tree, it's now blooming with green shoots and even had its birthday celebrated. Khot said, "This tree will live on for another 300 years easily." Planted somewhere in the 1840s, this tree has seen empires fall, countries created, and generations go by. And now, from Gorewada zoo, it will bear testimony to a future which we currently know of only through sci-fi movies.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gorewada herbivores get maize bonanza from its in-house farm
Nagpur: Lush green maize fields sway in the pre-monsoon winds on the land owned by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), part of a unique experiment to provide herbivores at Gorewada Zoo with nutritious and varied food. Started last year, these in-house farms at Gorewada are meeting part of the herbivores' daily food requirements. Sarika Khot, an ACF-rank official who is currently posted as assistant manager of Gorewada Zoo, said, "Animals are similar to humans when it comes to food; they love variety. And we wanted to not only add to their already varied food but also introduce new items." To revamp the menu for herbivores, officials at Gorewada Zoo took up planting crops on a patch of land adjacent to the zoo's entrance. The current crop, maize, is something that herbivores are relishing. Khot said, "Every morning, a vehicle comes here to harvest fresh maize. Immediately afterwards, it's taken to the herbivore enclosure for feeding. The moment the herbivores see this, they chomp down on it. Whatever we put there is consumed instantly." The current land is being harvested in phases. Khot said, "It's a rotational-based system. You have plantation being done on one patch, then at the next, you will see saplings growing bigger, and finally, the next patch has fully grown crops which are ready for harvest." The fenced-off farm has been made herbivore-proof. Khot said, "Since we have forests all around, deer move around in this range, and they were jumping over six-foot fences. So we dug up a moat-like hole around the fence so that they don't get the platform to propel their jump." Similarly, the base of the fence was reinforced with sand/mud/clay-filled bags as wild boars were breaking in. With all systems in place, the crops are in full bloom. After the success of their unique experiment, Gorewada Zoo officials are set to expand the crop base. Khot said, "The adjoining fields are almost ready, and soon we will begin plantation with new crops."
