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Forest dept registers offence against Katraj Zoo director for mismanagement
Allegations include unauthorised breeding and display of protected animals, illegally shifting animals
Months after finding irregularities in Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park’s Wildlife Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WARRC) which is outsourced to the Indian Herpetological Society (IHS), the forest department on Thursday, registered an offence against Rajkumar Jadhav, Katraj Zoo director for mismanaging the wild animals from scheduled category.
Hindustan Times through a series of stories had highlighted mismanagement at the zoo, and how it was adversely affecting the animals there.
The offence has been registered under sections Section 2 (16-G), 9, 39, and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 by the range forest officer, and on the instructions of assistant forest officer Ashutosh Shendage and deputy conservator of forest Mahadev Mohite. A similar complaint was made against the zoo director in 2018, although no offence was registered that time.
Jadhav in his response denied the allegations.“It is the forest department’s responsibility to take care of the wild animals, although we have been doing this work for the last 14-15 years and all the protocols and norms were followed properly,” he said.
In April this year, the forest department received a complaint from wildlife warden Aditya Paranjape regarding the irregularities in WARRC, Katraj. After this, a team of forest officials visited the centrw. In their inspection report, the team found records of some captive animals missing, some animals were kept illegally and many animals were released to different habitats.
After that, another investigation was conducted by a seven-member committee appointed by the forest department. However, serious flaws were observed in managing the animals from scheduled or the most protected animal category. The forest officials then issued a show cause notice to zoo director Rajkumar Jadhav. As per the official, the response was not satisfactory.
In July, 250 animals from WARRC were shifted to the RESQ charitable trust for further care.
Deputy conservator of forest Mahadev Mohite, Pune forest division said, “The evidence of mismanagement is found in the departmental investigation. The instruction was issued on September 13 and the offence was registered on September 14. As the person involved is also a government employee we need to get permission from the head authority, accordingly, a letter will be sent to Pune Municipal Corporation. The chargesheet will be submitted to the civil court for legal proceedings.”
Speaking about legal action against IHS, which has responsibility for managing the WARRC the official said, that although IHS is a responsible body for WARRC management, however, it comes under the zoo authority, therefore the primary responsibility goes to the zoo. Further action will be taken once the court finalises legal responsibilities.
Aditya Paranjape, a wildlife warden said, “This is an essential step as the issue is sensitive. The findings are disturbing. This will be a benchmark case, as to date no criminal offense has been registered against a zoo director in India. Wildlife protection is a serious issue. I urge all the wildlife wardens in the country to be vigilant about such incidents.”
According to Jadhav, the WARRC has been managed by IHS for over 6-7 years, and the forest officials communicated with them regularly. “Why was there no action earlier? There may be irregularities in keeping online records by the IHS, however, it was a software issue. The society as well as the zoo authority is maintaining records as per the Central Zoo Authority norms. Therefore, using the word offence is highly unacceptable and the department should not use such terms for zoo authority,” he stated.
The offence
The forest department registered an offence against the zoo directo under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Section 2 (16-G), 9, 39, and 51. Serious allegation mentioned in this report includes the unauthorised breeding and display of protected animals including four-horned antelope and hyenas. Illegally shifting animals from the rescue centre to the zoo. Not keeping wild animals in zoo facilities as per the Central Zoo Authority norms.
Central Zoo Authority (CZA) turns blind eye
Katraj Zoo authority and the Indian Herpetological Society have faced similar complaints in 2018. Moreover, some experts and forest officials also highlighted the issue that
the zoo is not maintaining the wild animal record as per the norms, there are repeated violations of the Wildlife Protection Act as well as the CZA norms. Despite this, no strict action has been taken by CZA. It raised the question about CZA turning a blind eye towards the Katraj Zoo administration.
