‘Focus on managing animals correctly’

Dr Ravi Chellam, who has researched wild animals for over 20 years and is director of the Wildlife Conservation Society-India Project, said Tuesday’s incident had more to do with humans than the animals.

Dr Ravi Chellam, who has researched wild animals — especially Asiatic lions — for over 20 years and is director of the Wildlife Conservation Society-India Project, said Tuesday’s incident in which a guard was killed at the national park had more to do with humans than the animals.

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A lioness killed a guard inside the safari.

Domestic dogs can kill a man. Don’t forget, lions are large carnivores. Why do you expect them not to attack?

What might have caused it? Why would they not attack?

In Gir, their natural habitat, there are such few incidents. Do humans not live there? [The incident] had nothing to do with the animal. It’s about their management. The guard must have been careless.

The Central Zoo Authority feels the conventional zoo should be shut and animals shifted to open enclosures.

It’s like moving from a 1 BHK into a 3 BHK flat when you don’t want to stay in a flat in the first place. What we need to look at is integrity of habitats.

So, a safari or keeping animals in a closed area does not help conserve wildlife?

These animals [are confined] to educate people. But, in such places, their behaviour gets modified, they injure each other. These animals don’t have any conservation value.