Delhi Zoo Launches Sunday Butterfly and Dragonfly Walk to Track Local Biodiversity
The National Zoological Park (Delhi Zoo) has launched a new citizen science initiative, the "Sunday Butterfly and Dragonfly Walk," aimed at promoting environmental awareness and generating local biodiversity records. The program encourages community participation to help document the various species residing within the zoo's limits.
The inaugural walk took place on Sunday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Naturalist and wildlife photographer Ramveer led the session, assisted by a team of volunteers. A group of 21 participants joined the inaugural walk to observe and record the insect life.
During the three-hour session, the participants successfully documented 12 different butterfly species, seven dragonfly species, and three damselfly species. The group also recorded more than 500 individual butterflies during their observation.
Among the butterfly species identified and logged by the participants were the plain tiger, striped tiger, common grass yellow, small grass yellow, common emigrant, mottled emigrant, pale grass blue, striped pierrot, zebra blue, lime butterfly, pioneer butterfly, and yellow orange tip.
In addition to the butterflies, the walk resulted in the documentation of several dragonfly species. These included the green marsh hawk, granite ghost, scarlet marsh hawk, ground skimmer, common clubtail, ditch jewel, and wandering glider. The damselfly species identified by the group were the golden dartlet, pygmy dartlet, and coromandel marsh dart.
Speaking to the participants during the event, Ramveer highlighted the critical ecological importance of butterflies and dragonflies. He explained that these insects serve vital functions as pollinators and natural pest controllers, while also acting as key indicators of a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
The zoo administration stated that the initiative is designed to foster environmental awareness through hands-on community involvement, helping to establish a consistent record of the area's biodiversity.
