Delhi Zoo official ‘replaced’ in fallout of jackal death row

The National Zoological Park (NZP) had constituted a committee, headed by the joint director, to investigate the death of the jackal.

One official of the Delhi Zoo has been withdrawn from their responsibilities as range in-charge and has been replaced by two others as additional in-charge for now, as per an order by the zoo administration. The development took place following allegations by the zoo workers’ union that a jackal died inside the premises due to mismanagement on the part of its staff.

Four jackals had escaped the zoo premises in November. (HT Archive)

“The arrangement is hereby made till the completion of enquiry and till further orders...The officers shall discharge their respective duties in accordance with the prevailing rules and instructions of the National Zoological Park,” the letter, undersigned by zoo director Sanjeet Kumar, read.

After the letter by the workers’ union to the Union environment ministry and the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the National Zoological Park (NZP) had constituted a committee, headed by the joint director, to investigate the death of the jackal.

On November 23, 2025, HT had reported that four jackals had escaped from their enclosure, prompting an urgent search across the forested areas behind the animal enclosures. Nearly two months after the incident, the union at the zoo flagged violations under zoo rules and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, claiming that the jackal was burnt alive during an attempt to capture it.

Further, the letter claimed that one of the jackals that escaped in November 2025 entered the enclosure of the Himalayan Black Bear and hid in an underground burrow, and in an attempt to capture the animal, “chilli powder was poured into the burrow and a fire was ignited inside it”.

The death was never reported and no post-mortem was conducted before the body was disposed of, the union alleged. However, the zoo director denied any such incident.

Following the complaint, a team of officials from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change visited the Delhi Zoo earlier this week to assess the situation.