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Madhya Pradesh to give 2 rescued tigers, 4 leopard cubs to Jamnagar’s new zoo
The decision was taken by Madhya Pradesh’s forest department on a request from Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom, a new zoo in Gujarat’s Jamnagar.
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh’s forest department has decided to send two tigers and four leopards rescued from forest to a zoological park in Jamnagar, Gujarat, officials said, even though the state has two centres to keep the rescued animals.
On January 13, the state forest department sought approval of the Central Zoo Authority to translocate the big cats to Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom in Jamnagar, one of Gujarat’s 13 zoos.
The Central Zoo Authority under environment ministry is the regulatory body for zoos in the country. According to MP forest department officials, the decision of give cats was taken on the request of Jamnagar Zoo.
In the letter to PCCF, wildlife, MP, the Jamnagar Zoological Centre wrote, “The satellite rescue centre is now operational in Jamnagar and it is housing presently more than 130 leopards received from the state of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland. The centre has rescued lguanas, Siamese crocodiles, Asiatic black bears, sloth beras, jungle cats, slow loris, hornbills, malay porcupines, muggers and various species of turtles and tortoises.”
“The centre is willing to acquire rescued animals from MP to house them in the centre which will have a large naturalistic enclosure, said the letter.
In a letter to the authority, Madhya Pradesh’s principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) Alok Kumar said, “Greens Zoological, Rescue and Rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar district of Gujarat showed a willingness to keep rescued wild animals of MP. As of now, MP have two facilities- Van Vihar in Bhopal and Mukundpur Tiger Safari in Satna where rescued animals have been kept on a temporary and permanent basis as per requirement. But recently, the rescue cases of wild animals have increased and in future, we will require the support of this organisation”
The forest department sought permission from Central Zoo Authority to send tigers and leopards from Van Vihar National Park and Mukundpur Zoo to Jamnagar. “Further action will be taken after getting permission of authority, said Alok Kumar.
Mukundpur Zoo director Sanjay Raykhere said, “We have limited space to keep rescue animals or treat them at the centre. We can shift those animals which can’t live in the wild and are fit for travel to Jamnagar.”
However, a senior forest officer, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “Gujarat government is not ready to give us lion but they want tigers from us. MP forest department shouldn’t have agreed to it especially when two tiger safaris are going to start in MP in Shivpuri and Panchmarhi. This decision was taken under pressure because the PCCF himself wrote that as of now there is no dearth of space but in future, there will be.”
Officials also said that there is already a proposal to translocate tigers to proposed Madhav National Park, which the government wants to convert into a tiger reserve. Many of the rescued tigers and leopards can be sent there also, an official said.
A wildlife activist from MP, Ajay Dubey said, “It is strange that the MP forest department has taken this decision in just 15 days. Everything is looking fixed. The forest department should evaluate the condition and habitat for tiger before taking this decision.”
Another environmentalist Kartikeya Singh said, “If both states follow all the guidelines of NTCA, this exchange programme is good for conservation. The forest departments should go for it for the animals which can’t live in wild.”
