In a township where residents complain they can barely see sparrows anymore, our Islands once doubled as bird and animal enclosures. Nicco Park hadn’t come up and its predecessor Jheelmeel had a massive bird cage as its main attraction. 

Though they have all been done away with, their memories still bring a fond smile to those who remember them. 
After serving in different places of Bengal as a civil engineer, I had been posted in “Salt Lake Project” on behalf of the government in the year 1977 and I spent the final years of my service here. A lot of development was taking place in the township at the time and I was entrusted with the work of tree plantation in avenues, parks, gardens as well as the upkeep of an existing aviary at Lalkuthi Island, menagerie in CAP Camp Island and a bird cage in CA Market. 

Bird house at Lalkuthi Island
This one was a favourite with children. The Island at Lalkuthi (opposite the BSNL office) had a big dome-shaped cage to protect the birds and was known as dome aviary (picture below). 

Bushes and trees were planted inside so the birds would feel at home and quickly start breeding. Sufficient number of perches was provided for them to sit and roost and a wide choice of nesting boxes installed. The dome itself had been designed to suit the characteristics of the various birds. 

Experts were consulted when it came to selecting the bird species. Magnificent birds like Budgerigars, Munias, Finches, Love Birds, Cockatiels, Java Sparrows, Diamond Doves, Bulbuls, Orioles, Hill Mynahs and Parakeets were introduced to the aviary. The collection was comprehensive and some of the species had started breeding successfully too.

In the meantime, a bird cage had also been erected in the courtyard of CA Market but it was soon understood to be a mistake. The constant noise and glaring lights proved to be disturbing for the birds and the cage was soon abandoned. The birds from here were transferred into the dome aviary.

The idea of the bird exhibit was conceived by the then chief engineering adviser of Salt Lake Project, the late D.P. Chattopadhayay, and the keeper of the birds had a big contribution in its success. 

The birds would wait for the keeper to walk in through the door and would dive down and perch on his shoulders, head and palm to pick up the morsels he would bring for them. This was a sight to behold and visitors would come to watch it.

This dome aviary hosted notable visitors from time to time, including the then chief minister Jyoti Basu. He had not started living in Indira Bhavan yet but on a visit to Salt Lake, had expressed his desire to see the birds. 

Before entering the aviary the keeper had given Basu some bird feed and upon entering he too was greeted by all the avian.

But one day I got the shocking news from a colleague that the birds had all died. It is believed that miscreants made an opening by cutting a portion of the cage’s wire netting and pushed inside a marauding cat. The blood-stained remains of the birds lay massacred all over the cage. 

Thereafter the authorities decided to discontinue the aviary. 

Rabbits at CAP Camp Island
This enclosure had rabbits, swans, Brahminy ducks, Pintail Ducks and Guinea Pigs. Fluffy rabbits lived inside burrows they would dig up and the ducks made cosy in a corner to incubate their eggs.

But this cage was known as neither rabbit cage nor duck cage. Instead, locals called it Raakshas Khancha (Demon Cage) due to a big demon’s cut-out installed there. 

Again, a trained keeper was appointed for this menagerie and during mealtime, the man would call the animals out by their names and they would run to him. Occasionally, he fed the animals in the presence of visitors.

But after the dome aviary was discontinued the authorities closed this down too. 

Before Nicco Park
The authorities had also planned to develop “Jheelmeel” (where Nicco Park now stands). So a group of planners, again under the leadership of Chattopadhyay, decided the park should have a toy train, boating facilities, a small flower garden, deer enclosure, aquarium house and not to forget, a bird section. This would comprise a huge walk-in aviary and some more separate cages for Golden Pheasants, Sarus Cranes and Mynahs. 

Former director of Alipur Zoological Gardens A.N. Guha was later roped in as advisor of the park and herpetologist (an expert in the study of reptiles and amphibians) Dipak Mitra was allotted land to start a snake park within Jheelmeel. 
Jheelmeel was inaugurated by Jyoti Basu and one remembers him, along with other dignitaries, taking a ride in the toy train thereafter.

The park became very popular in no time and the longest queues used to be for the toy train and then the aviary. The aviary was designed by a well-known architect of Maharashtra Mr. Joshi (I forget his first name). It housed many foreign and local birds and some of them had even started breeding within the aviary.

The talking Mynah, kept in a single spacious cage, would draw amused crowds. The intelligent bird would mimic the sound of the toy train as well as repeat parts of conversations between two people. It would often rattle: “Rashbehari, moyna ke khete dewar samay holo,” (Rashbehari, it is time to feed the Mynah)”. This was something it had picked up from the conversation of the bird keepers. 

The Golden Pheasants were among the most colourful birds in the world and people would love flock to watch them. They would be kept in a separate spacious cage to allow them to walk about. 

Many VIPs would visit Jheelmeel too, such as the Czechoslovak long distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Emil Zatopek and his wife Dana Zatopkova (Olympic javelin gold medallist). During their visit Mitra had arranged a snake charming show with a king cobra. The couple loved the show, and wrote as much in the park’s visitor’s book before leaving too. 

But shortly afterwards, the government decided to transfer Jheelmeel to the Nicco Park authorities and the birds, snakes and all that glory was brought to an end. Thereafter I could never get myself to visit Nicco Park, despite all the praises it got. My heart still yearns for all the fauna. I was very depressed to hear the aviary has been turned into a food court.

But life comes a full circle and I’m delighted to hear that New Town’s Eco Tourism Park now has a deer park and is soon to get a bird park too. Experts say that about 100 bird species have already disappeared from the East Calcutta Wetlands in last four decades so here is our chance to undo the damage.