Three months after raid, private ‘zoo’ continues to operate illegally in Shivaji Park

A private ?zoo? in Dadar?s Shivaji Park, Mumbai, has been found to be operating illegally and engaging in inhumane treatment of animals, including snakes, birds, turtles, fish, and reptiles. Hindustan Times found that the facility, which charges visitors for entry, has not been issued permission by the Central Zoo Authority and has been reported to the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Maharashtra Zoo Authority. The facility?s owner claims the animals are displayed for educational purposes and that the money collected goes towards animal welfare.

Mumbai: Nearly three months after the forest department raided a private ‘zoo’ in Dadar’s Shivaji Park, Hindustan Times found that the facility is continuing to run a commercial operation, involving ‘exotic’ animals.

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This has resulted in inhumane treatment of several snakes, birds, turtles, fish and reptiles — that are held in small, unkempt enclosures, harassed and used in photo-ops by visitors.

Officials with the forest department, Byculla Zoo and the Maharashtra Zoo Authority said the facility is illegal. Hindustan Times also brought the matter to the attention of the Union environment ministry in New Delhi, whose spokesperson confirmed that further action is the responsibility of the forest department.

“We will issue a letter to the Chief Wildlife Warden, Maharashtra, in this case for further action and to be reported to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA),” said the spokesperson.

HT visited the facility — which goes by the names ‘Dadar Prani Sangrahalaya’ and ‘Marine Aqua Zoo’ — on June 19 and June 20 and found several fish, birds and reptiles being held in glass tanks and tiny cages, in sweltering rooms.

These included an alligator gar fish, a red-eared slider turtle, a Chinese soft-shell turtle, two monitor lizards, a ball python, an iguana, and many types of fish and birds. The exact species are not native to India and are therefore not covered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Visitors are charged ₹20 for entry, but the facility does not issue tickets. For an additional ₹100, those who want to have an ‘interaction’ with some of the animals can feed them and use them as props in photos.

Notwithstanding the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), experts told HT that putting up wild animals for public display in this manner and exploiting them commercially, without prior permission of the CZA, amounts to a violation of its Recognition of Zoo Rules, which do allow for such ‘mini zoos’ to be run.

Sanjay Tripathi, director of the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo in Byculla, said, “A proper zoo needs to have a veterinarian. Specific diets must be fed to the animals. There is a process to clean the cages. There are many such rules and regulations which need to be followed. Only the CZA can issue permission to run any zoo in the country. If this facility does not have permission, then it cannot operate.”

Yuvraj Moghe, proprietor of the facility, said, “We do not have permission of the CZA, but there is a Supreme Court order from 1989 which allows us to display the animals. It is run as an educational facility.

“The money collected goes toward animal welfare. We have also declared all these exotic animals on the environment ministry’s Parivesh web portal, as per rules.

“Where else in the city can you find such a place where people can come and interact with these creatures? We are not a ‘zoo’, actually. That’s just the name of the place.” Despite requests, Moghe did not share the full text of the Supreme Court order.

Sonu Bhuse, from the Zoo Authority of Maharashtra in Nagpur, said, “There are only two recognised zoos in Mumbai, that is the Byculla Zoo, and a portion of Sanjay Gandhi National Park where some animals are kept in captivity. Any other facility claiming to be or functioning like a zoo is illegal.”

In March this year, Moghe and his father Nandakumar were found to be in possession of a soft-shell turtle, protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), five-star tortoises and three plum-headed parakeets (protected under Schedule-IV of the Act).

“These species were confiscated from the owners and are still in our possession. Now, they possess only exotic species, which do not fall under our purview. We will still investigate and see if they have any protected Indian species with them,” said Rakesh Bhoir, range forest officer (Mumbai), when contacted for comment.

An activist and volunteer working with the forest department, on the other hand, said, “Possession of exotic species may not be a violation of the Wildlife Act yet, but it will be soon as per recent amendments to the law.

“India is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and now the law reflects this. Once the amendments are accepted by the Rajya Sabha, such exploitation of exotic species will also be punishable under the WLPA.”