Despite Centre’s go-ahead, Maharashtra zoos refuse to open for visitors

Zoological parks and wildlife rescue centres across Maharashtra have refused to reopen for visitors for the time being, in a bid to keep captive animals and its

Zoological parks and wildlife rescue centres across Maharashtra have refused to reopen for visitors for the time being, in a bid to keep captive animals and its staff safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Days after the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) under the Union environment ministry allowed zoo operators to take a call on reopening zoological parks to visitors following the relaxation of lockdown rules under Unlock 1 from June 1, a review by the Maharashtra Zoo Authority (MZA) showed that none of the state zoos have opted to reopen.

The decision comes at a time when Melghat Tiger Reserve was reopened for tourists on Friday while the buffer area of Pench and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve will be reopened from July 1.

There are 10 zoological parks and four rescue centres in the state. Of these, two are medium-sized zoos – Virmata Jijabai Bhonsale Udyan and Zoo in Byculla, and Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Research Centre in Pune. The remaining eight are mini zoos across Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur, Kolhapur, as well as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli (classified as a mini zoo by CZA).

“We reviewed all the major zoos. So far, none of them are open for visitors due to prevailing local situation and threat of the pandemic,” said Ravikiran Govekar, member secretary, MZA. “We have asked the zoo operators to consult local authorities empowered by the Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act before taking any decision.”

As per the circular issued by CZA on June 10, based on guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the decision to reopen zoos for the public has to be taken by zoo operators based on consultation from the state disaster management authority. “Zoological parks across Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were reopened for the public but there have been no visitors at all,” said SP Yadav, member secretary, CZA. “The final decision has to be taken by state authorities and the zookeepers based on the prevailing Covid-19 situation across the city, district or state,” he said.

Byculla Zoo authorities said they have no plans to reopen till the end of July. “The Mumbai Metropolitan Region continues to have some of the highest Covid-19 positive cases in India, and it is not wise to reopen the zoo at the moment,” said Sanjay Tripathi, zoo director. “Our zoo comes under the large entertainment park category, and no relaxations have been issued for that category by the state or civic body. It will be safer for captive animals and our 35 staff members who have been residing within the zoo premises since March.”

Other zoo operators highlighted the example of a tiger that had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19, at Bronx Zoo in New York on April 5. “Among 450 animals, birds and reptiles, we have a large number of big cats. Under no circumstances can we risk their safety by reopening the zoos at the moment,” said Rajkumar Jadhav, zoo director, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Pune.

Meanwhile, rescued or captured tigers have been sent for rehabilitation and treatment to the Gorewada Wildlife Rescue Centre in Nagpur during the pandemic. Officials said they had to be extra careful after the Bronx case and ensure minimal human contact with the animals. “We plan to inaugurate the zoo only after Nagpur is declared a green zone. We have one of the highest numbers of captive and rescued tigers with us. So far, no animals have displayed symptoms of illness,” said Nandkishor Kale, divisional manager, Gorewada project.

Meanwhile, CZA on June 11 had also directed the mandatory deployment of round-the-clock veterinarians at zoos, to keep a close watch on the behaviour and health parameters of the captive animals. “All zoos are complying with CZA directives and are trying their best to provide required health facilities,” said Govekar.