The Hindu : New Delhi News : Zoos get guidelines for upkeep of inmates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Zoos get guidelines for upkeep of inmates

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 12. The summer heat is taking its toll not just on human beings, but also animals and birds. To help bring down the casualty across the various zoos this summer, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has issued guidelines to all the zoos.

Instructions were issued for adopting preventive measure for disease control and healthcare of animals in the zoos, particularly the carnivores. The measure to be adopted for preventing diseases among zoo animals include improvement of hygiene of the animal enclosures and its surrounding; removal of weeds and bush-cutting to reduce the vector load, cleaning of moats and sewer lines and proper disposal of solid wastes. Screening of animals against parasite infestation, carrying out blood tests of animals of important species in a planned and systematic manner without causing undue stress to them and take appropriate remedial measures. Medicines of essential nature should be procured in reasonable quantities and kept in zoo hospitals to meet emergencies.

The CZA has also advised an urgent review of the measures followed at various zoos and added, that the compliance of its suggested guidelines be communicated to the authorities.

Meanwhile, the Delhi zoo is going through a rather patchy period with the authorities trying to stretch the trickling water supply to keep happy the 130 species of animal and birds housed in the zoo.

With the rapidly plummeting water table in the Capital, the zoo authorities claim that they are keeping their fingers crossed.

The Director of Delhi Zoo, B.S. Bonal, said: "We have already put in place measures to check water waste. Moats and the wallowing pools around enclosures have been dried for certain animals that don't require too much water. Only animals including tigers, crocodiles and hippos require a lot of water and their wallow pools have been provided with water from the underground tube wells that have been pressed into service following the water crisis."

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