History

The Department of Zoology in the Mananthavady campus of Kannur University is established in 2008 for the purpose of providing higher education facilities in animal sciences to the youth of Kerala in general and Wayanad district in particular.  Here, education will be looked upon not just as a search for knowledge but as a great mission in which both the teachers and the students participate in the process of developing human resources for the benefit of the society and the nation.

The Department is offering MSc degree programme in Applied Zoology.   The programme  pattern is of Credit and Semester System consisting of four semesters including one semester research project work. The course is designed with specialization in “Biodiversity: Conservation and Management” and is equivalent to the MSc course in Zoology of Kannur University.  

Students are given an opportunity to gain advanced knowledge of biodiversity, conservation and management in the context of environmental, economic and social development in a globalised world. The students of the course gain invaluable practical experience on field trips and through engaging with stakeholders who are directly involved with real-world conservation dilemmas.

Wayanad district is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve-a biodiversity hot spot in the world. Since no facility to do higher education/research in Biology is available, at present, in Wayanad, attempts have never been made to subject the rich diversity of this region for scientific studies.

In order to fulfill the requirements and demands of the society and the University, mentioned elsewhere in this proposal, it is proposed that this department needs to be developed to a full fledged Department of higher learning that offers PG and Research degree programme. Presently the Department is housed in the Tribal Study Centre Building in the Mananthavady Campus. Basic minimum requirements to set up a PG and Research Department in Applied Zoology are listed below: