If you are applying for a course at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the upcoming academic year, you will be provided with a list of rare species of fauna along with your admission application form. In order to protect the rare animals present on campus, the varsity administration has taken such a step to release information about the rare inhabitants and varied species of animals on the campus. JNU entrance exams are scheduled to start from December 27.
An official at the varsity, requesting anonymity said, "Most students who encounter these animals during their routine life get scared and, in fear, try to kill them. There are rare species of wild animals, cats, deer, fox, peacock, butterfly, jackal and rare species of snakes. However, some of them are poisonous too. That's why the university management will disseminate information about animals in the admission application form."
In order to avoid any unwanted incident where students, out of fear, tend to harm these species present on the campus, they will also be imparted with skills to handle such situations.
"This is a much-needed step because the campus is home to several rare species including the Nilgai — or the blue bull, which is the largest Asian antelope and is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. But only time can tell if this step can spread awareness," said Sumantra Talukder, an alumnus of IIMC, situated inside the vast JNU campus. Sumantra still visits the campus often and is concerned about the safety of the fauna.
JNU is part of the Southern Ridge of Aravali Hills and houses various species of wild fauna. These range from Common Palm Civets, Small Indian Civet, Indian Golden Jackal, Indian Crested Porcupine, Nilgai, Rufus Tailed Hare, various lizards and varieties of snakes, birds and butterflies etc, according to the information on their official website.
Various feeding spots and watering holes for dogs, birds and other animals have also been identified on the varsity's campus.
