The Hindu : Heat affects zoo earnings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Heat affects zoo earnings

By J.S. Ifthekhar

HYDERABAD June 6. While the oppressive heat has made life miserable, it is also burning a hole in the cash box at the Nehru Zoological Park. The authorities are in a fix as the searing temperature is sending everyone, including intending visitors, scurrying for cover.

It sure is a summer of discontent at the zoo. The premier wildlife sanctuary is losing revenue heavily this summer with a sharp fall in the number of visitors. The gate money on Sundays has come down from Rs. 1.75 lakhs during May last to Rs. 1.20 lakhs now. The daily revenue too has dwindled from an average of Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 40,000.

Authorities are naturally worried, but are simply not in a position to do anything about it. Ever since the advent of the summer, the number of visitors has been coming down day by day. In the previous seasons this was not the case. Even those visiting the zoo now are forced to confine themselves to the shade of trees for the greater part of the day, it is said.

The animals too are reluctant to come out in the open. As a result most of them remain in their enclosures and make an appearance only after 3.30 p.m. The zoo authorities are not taking any chances and are therefore not forcing the animals to come out for display. "If the animals feel comfortable they will come out. Otherwise they will remain in the shelter,'' said the zoo curator, B. Srinivas.

The authorities are doing their best to keep the animals comfortable. Thatched grass is put on all animal houses on which water is sprinkled at regular intervals. Sprinklers have also been also installed all across the zoo to keep the environment cool. Air coolers have been installed in the enclosures of exotic animals like white tigers, puma, orang-utan, which cannot tolerate heat. In spite of all this care a Neelgai died a fortnight ago. "But the death is not due to dehydration," Mr. Srinivas maintains.

Luckily, there is no cut in the quantum of water supplied to the zoo. It requires about 12,000 kilolitres of water per day and the same is being supplied by the HMWSSB. For the lawns the zoo gets unfiltered water from the nearby Miralam tank.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Heat affects zoo earnings

Air quality monitoring stations

Free coaching for minorities

Admission to BC hostels

Constable dismissed

Traffic curbs

Lump gone, he's now in good heart