India/Calcutta-Alipore zoo

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Parched & pained: it's a dog's life at Alipore zoo

 

June 12, 2003 5:20am

 

: The gruelling summer heat coupled with dried moats,

water bodies filled with algae and weeds, lack of

shaded enclosures and absence of keepers to stop

'teasing visitors' at bay - have added to the misery

of animals at the Alipore Zoological Gardens.

 

" How can a lion be caged inside a netted enclosure

with little air, food and shelter? " asked a visitor.

With the sun rays flooding the enclosure, a lion was

forced to corner himself to one tiny spot of shade

inside. It is a similar plight faced by the mongoose,

rhinoceros, monkeys, jaguars and birds caged inside

small netted enclosures. With large water bodies being

filled with leaves, plastic bottles, food packets and

green algae, large animals like elephants and the

hippo are being forced to restrict themselves to

drinking water from the small concrete ponds provided

by the authorities.

 

Moreover, the absence of keepers have encouraged

visitors to throw food items and tease animals with

tree twigs and broken sticks. " It is fun to watch the

animals move around. We haven't paid to see them

sitting in one corner, " said a visitor while poking at

a rabbit. Equally appalling is the unprohibited entry

of visitors carrying plastic bags. Despite new

guidelines being issued by the state Pollution Control

Board banning entry, use, sale and processing of carry

bags, little action seems to be taken by the zoo

authorities. In fact, it is a common sight to come

across large heaps of plastic bags, tetra packs and

food items strewn both into the water body and all

over the zoo. The unavailability of littering bin has

compounded the problem furthermore.

of Zoological Gardens, S.K. Chaudhuri

however, feels nothing much is amiss. " Apart from

birds and animals which can withstand the present heat

and high temperatures, roofs of several carnivores and

bird cages have been covered with hogla (reed) to

provide relief from direct heat, " he said. Denying

allegations of moats containing dirty water and

inadequate provisions for drinking water for animals,

he said, " There are no water moats and those existing

are being dried as per laws stated by the Central Zoo

Authority. " Moreover, he claimed that the water bodies

were cleaned every alternate day and adequate food and

drinking water was being provided to the animals on a

daily basis.

 

" Some carnivores and birds are also given water mixed

with electral powder in order to maintain their ionic

balance, " he said. As far as the ban on plastic is

concerned, Chaudhuri said, " We are planning to install

a signboard to inform visitors about the ban. We have

adequate dustbins to curb the plastic menace. "

 

Publication: The Economic Times

 

Distributed by Financial Times Information Limited -

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire

 

Copyright & #65385; 2003 The Economic Times. All Rights

Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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