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| | | Alipore Zoo is the largest and oldest zoological park in India, encompassing an area of nearly 45 acres. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy city of Kolkata, the zoo used to be an island of serenity with a rich collection of flora and fauna, many in enclosures resembling their natural habitat – a vivid and wonderful childhood memory. Today, that scenario has changed. The crowds have turned the zoo into a picnic spot - its purpose somewhat lost – and a garbage dump, regardless of the dustbins,as heaps of paper plates, plastic cups, scraps of food lie scattered here and there, making this an ugly, unhealthy venue. The 136 year old park is considered an important part of the city's heritage by Kolkatans – so why are things in such bad shape? Civic negligence apart, other things have to change to improve the overall standards of the zoo, though so far efforts have not produced concrete results. Renovation work going on in the Alipore zoo, began in early 2010 and was supposed to be completed in March 2012 before season peak up but it is not yet over. “The work will take a lot more time,” says an employee in the zoo. That is evident, with the modernisation promised by the 7.5 crore project still invisible in the 19 hectare area allotted, and the debris of the construction material scattered everywhere around the park. The renovation plan includes ten new enclosures for big cats, one for Leopards, new enclosures for Gharials and Crocodiles, a new Reptile House, an AC computerised ticket system and a new food court. A new aquarium installed with automatic water purifying system is also planned. Of the new cages and enclosures that were planned under the project, just one for crocodiles has been completed. The rest remain in various stages of construction. But completion could take another year.  © 2012 EarthSmiles.net . All rights reserved. Made from 100% recycled pixels. Much hulabaloo over the Alipore Zoo - but little has been done other than the talk.
Zoo story
By Divya Dhamija
|  | | These aren't the animals we're looking for: With a scanty zoo population and reticent animals, chances are humans are the animals you'll abundantly see. | "My child loves animals so I had come here, but we have not been able to see most of the animals as they were indoors," said Mitali Ghosh, a homemaker who had come to the zoo with her three-year-old daughter Shreyoshi. Shreyoshi and her mother, like many other visitors at the zoo, hopped from one enclosure to another, only to find most of the animals hiding in the shelter and making only a few appearances. While the hot and humid weather has kept people indoors, the animals in the zoo too, prefer to remain in their shelters during the hot afternoons, too. They have only been coming out during the evenings or when they are being fed. Many have been put on a special liquid diet that includes Electral and glucose. Water showers have been planned for mammals and birds, to help them cope better. Comparing Alipore Zoo and to Darjeeling's Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park makes it clear how different the treatment of animals is, and the facilities are, in these two zoos - both are maintained by the same authority. The Darjeeling Zoo has well kept with well fed animals, and boasts of visitor facilities like a Zoo Souvenir shop, refreshment corner, photographic consumables and telephone booths; whereas the Alipore Zoo has weak / bored animals with no such facilities for the humans, as Darjeeling has. Instead, even after turning over nine different managements at Alipore, we witnessed the death of 67 animals including kangaroos, marmosets, birds, snakes and some other, between August 2011 and March 2012. An earlier EarthSmiles.net story also highlighted the poor condition of animals and facilities here [Read story]. The condition today remains as terrible. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has proposed a State Zoo Authority to remodel all zoos in the state and bring them under one umbrella body, while the Chief Secretary has asked all state zoos - the Alipore Zoo, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Khayerbari zoo, Kunjanagar zoo, Cooch Behar zoo, Adina Deer Park, Burdwan zoo, Jharkhali zoo, Rasik Beel, Purulia zoo and Garchumuli zoo - to submit their plans for renovation. We hope that these will not remain on paper - the political move of bringing all zoos under the authority should facilitate smoother functioning, and improvement at the zoological gardens. Zoos play such an important part in introducing us to the wonders of nature, yet we neglect them as adults; instead of nurturing them so that the same wonder can be passed down to subsequent generations.  .A rihno cools off in a dirty, .algae filled pool. |
Rusting pillars and stone chips
