The conditions are worse. The jailors even more heartless. The inmates are mute.
New Jail at Kolkata's Alipur
By Jofin Jose with Abhishek Boral
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CENTRAL ZOO AUTHORITY
The parliament decided to establish the Central Zoo Authority in 1992 with the objective to:
1. Safeguard against mushrooming of
ill planned zoos in the country.
2. Provide wild animals housed in zoos,
conditions congenial to their mental
and physical health.
3. To enhance conservation role of the zoos. | | .Feedback! |
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| © 2011 EarthSmiles.net . All rights reserved. Made from 100% recycled pixels.    Roaaar! Did someone say King of the jungle? Better make it captive of Alipore’s second, but far larger, jail… The Kolkata Zoological Garden – not some new addition to the infamous Alipore jail, not far off.
In Kolkata (Calcutta), even a beggar can be better off than an animal in captivity. True that some of our fondest childhood memories would be visiting the Zoo, but as kids we hardly pondered on how the animal is kept or how it must be managing to live through - behind bars. Now, when it comes to Kolkata Zoo, one of the world’s oldest, the bars are the least of an interned animals worries.
July 13, 2011, an NGO called Cee4life referred the condition of a very sick lioness in Alipore Zoo, Kolkata to Whispers Inc. and Tiger Awareness. The latter organisations ran about a few bureaucrats of the Zoo Authority, and inspecting the zoo as they tried to help the lioness, discovered the poor living condition of the other animals as well.
Though the lioness that they originally went for was moved for treatment the next day, there were other lions which were malnourished and a lioness which bore sores on its head. Sores so bad, that she could not even lift her head. Didn’t the keepers notice?
Shocked, the NGO workers decided it was time for action. A briefing by them was called at the Calcutta Press Club, and there EarthSmiles.net learnt of the poor conditions of the zoo and even worse condition of the animals. While the zoo is ill maintained with its dirty water sources and unhygienic cages, the animals are stuffed together like sardines in a can. They are also so poorly looked after, that it escapes the staff notice even when they are severely ill or injured! While most are undernourished, some poor creatures are even living with infections and open sores on them. Enclosures are so badly planned that even leaf eating giraffes had no trees they could feed on in them – the animals strain their necks often risking wire, to eat leaves of trees outside the pen.
The press briefing left us with some disturbing questions:
“who is responsible for these animals?”
“why is the Central Zoo Authority not taking responsibility for the complaints and the zoos management?”
“why have things gone down to such a sorry level, without anyone taking action before?”
“is the value of a zoo being negated by such apathy by its employees towards the inmates?”
More from EarthSmiles.net on this soon. In the meantime, please send us your comments and any helpful information.
You can also watch the video on EarthUpdated!TV (Its A Jungle In There) |
