AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has revealed in the Assembly that 38 animals and birds, brought from other states and abroad, have died at the Sardar Patel Zoological Park, popularly known as Jungle Safari, in the ‘Statue of Unity’ complex.
In response to a question asked by Congress MLA from Lunawada Gulab Singh Chauhan in the legislative assembly, the state government admitted on Tuesday that admitted that out of 295 animals and birds, translocated from other states and abroad, 38 have died in the last two years, as of December 31, 2023.
Replying to the question, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that of the five alpacas procured, three died, while one of the four wallabys died. “Four sun conures, three green-cheeked conures, seven blue pheasants, three silver pheasants (out of the nine procured), three red-billed toucans (out of the four procured), three thiamin deer (out of the five procured), three squirrel monkeys (out of the eight procured) and one marsh crocodile (out of the six procured) were among other animals that died,” the reply said.
More than Rs 34 lakh has been spent on such exotic birds and animals in the last two years, as per the details shared.
In March 2023, the Gujarat government had said that 12 exotic animals and birds had died between February 1, 2021, and January 31, 2023, at the zoological park. A total of 940 animals and birds were inhabited at the Jungle Safari in these two years. Even as the reasons for such deaths were not elaborated in the statement on Tuesday, the reasons cited in March 2023 were majorly respiratory arrest, and cardio-pulmonary arrest.
Parthiv Kathawadia, a Congress legislator and environmentalist, accused the Gujarat government of incompetence over the deaths of the birds and animals. “Cheetahs died in Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, and now birds and animals brought from abroad are dying in Gujarat. It is critical that the government fails to provide animals and birds with a proper environment; these animals and birds were brought at the expense of the people’s money; the government should accept responsibility for their deaths.” said Kathawadia.
“A post-mortem examination should be conducted to determine why all of these birds and animals died, and an inquiry committee should be formed to conduct a scientific study,” he added.
The Sardar Patel Zoological Park and the Geodesic Aviary Dome in the Statue of Unity complex was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 30, 2020.
Even much before its inauguration, the zoological park had attracted criticism over the deaths of exotic animals due to alleged neglect in their translocation from abroad. The ‘Statue of Unity’ is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s tallest statue.