Several city indistrialists and celebrities, including R S Agrawal, Harsh Neotia, Sundeep Bhutoria, Sanjay Budhia and Debashree Roy were among those who formally took "possession" of a variety of animals: tigers, rhinos and elephants to macaws, leopards, a fishing cat and the chimpanzee.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien handed over Rs 1 crore to the zoo from his MPLAD fund.

Even as the zoo raised Rs 30 lakh from the scheme, officials made it clear that it was not meant to raise funds. Rather, the idea was to get citizens involved in the maintainance of the zoo and the animals. Zoos, according to principal chief conservator of forests N C Bahuguna, were the backbone of conservation, for they helped to get people interested in animals and nature.

"Not just animals, I would like to see even their enclosures being adopted, which would ensure that zoo creatures have a proper environment to live in," Bahuguna said.

Animal lovers couldn't have been more pleased. Actor and MP Debashree Roy, who adopted an elephant together with an NGO, said she was delighted with the scheme. "Adoption will help improve the living conditions of the zoo animals. It's very pleasing to know that even schools and students are coming forward to adopt animals. I am delighted to have adopted an elephant. They face a tough future due to poaching and habitat loss," she said.

Industrialist Bhutoria, a keen wildlife photographer, said he was happy to adopt a tiger. "Through my organization, I would love to adopt even smaller animals which may not have been taken up yet," he said.

Actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, another wildlife enthusiast, rued that he missed out on the chance to adopt. Describing the scheme as one of the best efforts made for conservation, Chakrabarty said he would like to adopt any animal that was available. "I am one of the first who made an attempt to adopt an animal when a similar scheme was launched at the Darjeeling zoo. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it. But this time, I will definitely adopt one, either in Kolkata or in Darjeeling," he added.

State forest minister Hiten Barman said the new policy may be criticized initially but it had the potential to be a pathbreaking move. "This promises to open up a range of activities that will help make the zoo better. We are not looking at funds, but participation from the common people that will keep the zoo authorities under pressure to ensure better management," he said.

The minister announced that a satellite zoo for Alipore will come up soon, while a safari was on the anvil at the Mahananda sanctuary near Siliguri. "It will be an open zoo, where animals will move around in their natural surroundings. The park will be the largest of its kind in the region and is being set up at a cost of Rs 200 crore," said the minister.

The Alipore zoo, on the other hand, will have more schemes involving citizens, said officials. "They are aimed at those who can't adopt animals. We are introducing a 'Friends of the Zoo Animals' scheme, under which citizens can seek membership through an annual contribution. A zoo volunteer scheme will also be unveiled for those who would like to work for the animals," said V K Yadav, who's in charge of the Alipore zoo.