MZA panel blames shoddy facility for leopard escape incident

The committee also highlighted that the cages at the facility were in poor condition and that led to the leopard escape incident at Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park at Katraj

The committee appointed by the Maharashtra Zoo Authority (MZA) has revealed that the Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WARRC) at Katraj has not had a structural audit for over two decades.

On March 4, Sachin, an eight-year-old male leopard, escaped from its enclosure, where he was kept for quarantine. (HT PHOTO)

The committee also highlighted that the cages at the facility were in poor condition and that led to the leopard escape incident at Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park at Katraj.

On March 4, Sachin, an eight-year-old male leopard, escaped from its enclosure, where he was kept for quarantine. The Leopard was captured after 40 hours. Following this incident, a five-member expert team set up by the state zoo authority and headed by district forest officer, MZA Lina Ade visited Katraj Zoo on April 15 and 16, more than a month after the leopard escape incident.

The committee members comprised retired IFS officer Anil Anjankar, who has vast experience in zoo management. Apart from that, a veterinary officer, a structural engineer, and a zoo curator were also present. During the two-day visit, the committee concentrated on analysing the event as well as inspecting the cages for structural integrity. The committee also interacted with forest officials regarding the incident. In the last week of May, the report on the visit was submitted to Prabhunath Shukla, member secretary, Maharashtra Zoo Authority.

Speaking about the key findings, Ade stated, “The committee discovered that no structural audit was undertaken on cages or enclosures used in quarantine facilities. The terrible condition of the cages is likely to have caused the escape incident.”

In its conclusions, the committee suggested that structural checks be conducted on old cages in the quarantine facility, especially those older than ten years. She emphasised that government organisations must perform a structural audit.

Apart from the structural audit, several other issues were also addressed by the committee report.

When the leopard escape incident happened, the zoo authority did not inform the other concerned authorities about the incident including the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), police, and the forest department, triggering safety and management concerns about the administration.