Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the death of 36 animals at Nisarga Kavi Bahinabai Chaudhary Zoo, Sambhajinagar, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) area, through the principal secretary of the urban development department. The chief minister further instructed the PCMC to transfer the zoo to the Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation (MFDC).
Legislative council member, Ashwini Jagtap, raised the issue regarding the death of 36 animals during question hour in the ongoing assembly session at Nagpur. In response to her query, Shinde ordered a high-level investigation into the death of the animals along with transfer of authority. Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar, member Nana Patole, and Yogesh Sagar participated in the discussion.
Sandip Khot, deputy commissioner, PCMC, said that the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in 2017 had approved the renovation and beautification plan for the zoo, and the zoo had been closed ever since for work as per the CZA guidelines. “Meanwhile, a total of 36 animals including peacocks, turtles, snakes, crocodiles, and some birds died in the period between 2017 and 2023. The death of the said animals was natural and a post-mortem was also conducted at the government hospital in Aundh. The PCMC informed about the same to the CZA and all the reports are with us,” Khot said.
“Currently, there are over 100 animals residing in the zoo, including reptiles, birds, amphibians, and some others. There is no wild animal in captivity. I am not aware of the further course of action, however work at the zoo will continue as planned. Our efforts will continue to make the zoo open for all as soon as possible,” said Khot.
{{/usCountry}}“Currently, there are over 100 animals residing in the zoo, including reptiles, birds, amphibians, and some others. There is no wild animal in captivity. I am not aware of the further course of action, however work at the zoo will continue as planned. Our efforts will continue to make the zoo open for all as soon as possible,” said Khot.
{{/usCountry}}Aditya Paranjape, honorary wildlife warden, Pune Forest Division, said, “I welcome the move by the chief minister. Being an honorary wildlife warden, I reached out to the zoo authority several times to learn about the overall administration work in the zoo however the response was inadequate. Several questions were raised in connection with the funds allocated for the zoo work, the deadline etc. To my knowledge, the zoo authority does not have a collection plan for the animals. Moreover, the majority of staff is not permanent staff of the PCMC. As such, the overall administration is disturbed. Hence in such messy conditions, an inquiry is necessary.”
“While the CM took a positive step towards the issue of animal deaths in the PCMC’s zoo, I would also like to urge him to take cognisance of the mismanagement at the Katraj Zoo facility, where around 1,000 animals kept in captivity were mistreated by the concerned authorities,” said Paranjape.