CZA, Bengal forest dept probe animal count discrepancies at Alipore Zoo in Kolkata

Save Wild Animals of Zoo and Our Nature (Swazon), a citizens’ forum in Kolkata, flagged huge differences in the number of animals in the zoo’s inventory reports of 2023–2024 and 2024–2025

Kolkata: The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and the West Bengal forest department have launched separate investigations into alleged discrepancies in the number of wild animals at Kolkata’s Alipore Zoological Garden, officials said.

Save Wild Animals of Zoo and Our Nature (Swazon), a citizens’ forum in Kolkata, have also approached the Calcutta High Court over the issue, and the petition is likely to be heard next week. (Samir Jana / Hindustan Times)

Save Wild Animals of Zoo and Our Nature (Swazon), a citizens’ forum in Kolkata, flagged huge differences in the number of animals in the zoo’s inventory reports of 2023–2024 and 2024–2025. Even though animals such as tigers, leopards, lions, and elephants are present in the Alipore Zoo, the oldest zoo in the country, the zoo’s latest inventory report makes no mention of them, the citizens’ forum said.

They have also approached the Calcutta High Court over the issue, and the petition is likely to be heard next week.

“We have set up a three-member team comprising officials from the CZA, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Indian Veterinary Research Institute to look into the allegations. The team was there in Kolkata for two days. The team is expected to submit its report within a week,” CZA member secretary V. Clement Ben said.

Meanwhile, the state forest department has ordered a separate probe to look into the allegations. The probe is being conducted by a senior Indian Forest Service officer.

“We have ordered a probe after the allegations surfaced. An officer of the rank of Principal Chief Conservator of Forest is probing into this. He will submit a report within two weeks,” West Bengal chief wildlife warden Sandeep Sundriyal said.

Swazon pointed out that the number of birds recorded on March 31, 2024 (closing stock of 2023–2024), was 408. A day later, on April 1 (opening stock of 2024–2025), the number of birds dropped to 218. The number of mammals dropped from 129 to 74 overnight. Similarly, the number of reptiles came down from 135 on March 31, 2024, to 59 on April 1, 2024.

“The closing stock of animals in the zoo of any financial year, recorded on March 31, and the opening stock of the animals in the next financial year, recorded on April 1, should be the same. But there were huge differences in the closing stock of 2023–2024 and 2024–2025. The number of animals dropped by a few hundred,” Jayanta Sen, member of Swazon, said.

“The closing stock of 2023–2024 registered 672 animals in all. The opening stock of 2024–2025 registered 351 animals. Overnight, 321 animals disappeared on paper even though they are present in the zoo,” Sen added.

Alipore Zoo director Arun Mukherjee refused to comment on the controversy when contacted by HT.

A zoo official, requesting anonymity, said that as the inventory has to pass through several stages, there could be mistakes in the data entry. The final inventory report, with the anomalies, was published on the website of the CZA.

Sen said that this is not the first time such anomalies have been spotted. “There was a difference of at least 276 animals in Alipore Zoo in the closing stock of 2016–2017 and opening stock of 2017–2018,” he said.