Zoo officials told to expedite modernisation project

By G. Mahadevan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 15. The Union Forest Secretary, Mr. P.V. Jayakrishnan, today directed the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo authorities to speed up the ongoing modernisation project so as to complete it by March 31, 2003.

He issued the directive after an inspection tour of the Zoo this morning. The Additional Director General, Wildlife, Mr. S. C. Sharma, accompanied the Secretary on his inspection.

Mr. Jayakrishnan and Mr. Sharma arrived at the Zoo at 7 a.m. and began the inspection. Walking past the primate cages, Mr. Jayakrishnan enquired as to why the signboards indicating the species names were so cryptic. He asked the Zoo director, Mr. Yelakki, to ensure that the signboards were more descriptive. ``Why don't you also put up eco-messages along with the signboards?'' he asked.

There was evident disapproval on the Secretary's face when he saw the vulture cage, which is an enclosure so small that the vulture can just about spread its wings fully.

``You should have much taller enclosures for the vulture. This won't do. Why don't you have a pair bird?'' Mr. Sharma asked. At the bird enclosure too, both Mr. Sharma and Mr. Jayakrishnan pointed out to the cryptic nature of the signboards. ``What will a visitor understand from this one-line sign-board?'' The Zoo director responded by saying that these shortcomings would be rectified in the new aviary that the Zoo is building.

``All this will have to go'' was Mr. Jayakrishnan's assessment of the tortoise and gharial cages. Pointing out that the water in the gharial cage was dirty, he told the accompanying Zoo authorities, ``This animal lives in freshwater. Look at the water, it is so dirty.''

The entourage then moved on to the lakeside where the Forest Secretary was evidently impressed by the size of the lake. ``This is a very good water body,'' he remarked as he watched two pelicans on the far side of the lake.

The Secretary, on his first visit to the city Zoo, was then taken to the newly constructed rhino, hippo and elephant enclosures. Both Mr. Jayakrishnan and Mr. Sharma expressed satisfaction at the expanse of the rhino and hippo enclosures.

It was the turn of the Zoo vet to do some explaining regarding the deer enclosure when Mr. Jayakrishnan and Mr. Sharma wanted to know why one deer had a couple of open wounds.

When the vet said the wounds were the result of fighting between the animals, Mr. Sharma shot back that such a wound could only occur when crows pulled out ticks from the deer's skin. ``You should treat the deer for ticks. Use the appropriate medicine,'' the vet was told. The large number of deer at the Zoo also proved to be a point of concern for Mr. Jayakrishnan.

At the Zoo hospital, the Forest Secretary wanted to know why cement floors were provided in place of an earth floor, while Mr. Sharma directed Mr. Yelakki to see to it that the cages in the hospital were made larger.

Mr. Jayakrishnan was annoyed when he saw ice-cream cups and crates of bottles stacked behind the Milma and KTDC parlours just outside the Zoo gate. ``Either you fine these folks for dirtying the Zoo or throw them out,'' was the order given to Mr. Yelakki. Back at the Zoo director's office, Mr. Jayakrishnan said it was very good that a medium zoo was able to attract close to a million people annually.

Mr. Jayakrishnan told the Zoo officials that he would take up with the Chief Minister the issue of transferring the control of the Zoo from the Department of Culture to the Forest Department as is the practice all over India. He would also seek an undertaking from the State Government that funds given for the Zoo were not diverted for other purposes.

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