Soon, life-like mangrove at Marine Aquarium and Research Centre in Digha

KOLKATA: The Marine Aquarium and Research Centre (MARC) in Digha will have an added attraction in the form of a walk through diaroma for the visitors. The entire mangrove ecosystem of the Sundarbans along with its flora and fauna is being recreated at MARC by the Zooological Survey of India. The secretary of the union ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change Ajay Narayan Jha is slated to inaugurate the extension of MARC before the Pujas. "It will be a mangrove ecosystem museum with life size models of animals like Royal Bengal Tigers, crocodiles, several varieties of crabs and birds that are found in the Sundarbans. Our aim is to portray the life of the people in the Sundarban villages particularly the fishermen and their boat life. They spend sleepless nights in boats for catching fishes to eke out a living," Anil Mohapatra, ZSI scientist and director of MARC said.

Tourists visiting the museum will have the perfect feel of walking through the mangrove of the Sundarbans. There will be wonderful drawings of animals, birds, snake, insects and aquatic creatures found in the creeks and rivers of Sundarbans. "It will also be of immense help to researchers who are working with Sundarbans as the subject," Mohapatra added. The

MARC will also unveil a museum hall with study materials and display of equipment pertaining to marine science study that will help them in gaining knowledge about the subject. Work to revamp MARC had started six months back and is presently going through the final lap. The entire project entails an investment to the tune of Rs 30 crore.

The carcass of a gigantic Sei Blue Whale that was found in the shores of Digha in December 2012 and was buried in the shore was excavated a year back and the skeleton was put into display at the MARC campus. "It has been a huge crowd-puller and we are now colouring the skeleton to give it a fresh look," a ZSI scientist said.