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Journalism of Courage
IF the purpose of a zoo is to instill in a child a sense of wonder and curiosity about wildlife, then the Mahatma Gandhi Zoo in Solapur is doing quite the opposite. The zoo’s dismal state is only breeding further indifference and callousness.
A featherless duck in the zoo’s first cage sets the tone for what follows. A lame monkey tries to keep pace with the shower of popcorn that visitors are so helpfully throwing inside the cage while a deer battles with a zealous visitor who wants to tear its horns off. In another part of the zoo, peacocks walk on the concrete floor of their dark cage and almost next door, owls peer at you in broad daylight.
Yes, different from most other zoos, the monkeys here feed on a diet enriched with popcorn and pepsi and the deer eat papad as appetiser. Snacks are sold right outside their cages.
A number of stray dogs play in the zoo’s seven acre premises. And in defiance of the Central Zoo Authority rules, people actually live in the zoo compound.
‘‘There’s no proper wall because we don’t have the money. Without a wall, however much we try to keep the dogs out, they walk right back in. And so do the vendors. For 12 years since I have been here, we have been asking for a wall but there’s no money,’’ says veterinarian in charge, Dr Suhas Landge.
While Garden Superintendent D Mhetras confirms the fund crunch, plans are afoot to bring in a white tiger from the Aurangabad zoo. ‘‘We have applied to the CZA for permission. We have also submitted a plan to the CZA about six months ago for developing the zoo,’’ he says.
After the death of eight animals in the last twelve months, Solapur based NGO-Nature Conservation Circle has been trying to get the authorities to pay attention to the animals. Say members Bharat Chheda and Abhijit Kulkarni, ‘‘Simple but important things like drinking water are missing. It’s almost as if nobody cares about their well being. But probably the worst sight in the zoo is when they bring in food for the carnivores. Instantly, stray dogs crowd for their share. And then when it comes to getting visitors to stop teasing animals, there’s nobody on hand to halt that. We have sent a letter to the CZA describing the condition of the animals here.’’
Talk about the deaths and authorities are not willing to confirm or deny the deaths. Every zoo as per CZA requirements must have a record of the births and deaths but officials here are reluctant to give out any information. Even the accurate number of animals in the zoo is not available with the veterinarian.
But what is perhaps most disturbing is the way visitors illtreat animals. ‘‘Sometimes we throw people out of the zoo. But we have never fined anybody. How can we control visitors when there are so few of us that we can’t even maintain our animals?’’ says Landge. What’s also missing is an animal hospital, a telephone line, anti-snake venom, boards that tell visitors about the animals and an all important 24-hour water connection.
