With the mercury soaring high, zoo officials are busy ensuring cool shelters and environs for the animals which miss their natural habitats.
SV Zoo: Animals prefer to stay inside
The day-by-day increase in the mercury levels is having its impact on the animals and birds in the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (SVZP) in this temple town.
Though 2,212-hectare SVZP is the largest zoo in Asia, it has a special place among other zoos in India as it has been developed on a mythological theme by highlighting the role of wild animals in our ancient scriptures and providing spacious and naturalistic enclosures to the wildlife. But it seems not a safe zone for the animals and birds during summer, the peak visiting time.
Some of the steps taken up by the zoo authorities like placing air- coolers in the enclosures of carnivores, birds and other animals with green cloth, agro shade net, wetting the ground with water from time to time and other measures for reducing the temperature to some extent, many of the animals, especially the exotic birds and animals, are seen moving about uneasily under the sweltering heat.
With animals like leopards and tigers remaining inside the enclosures due to the unbearable heat, visitors who fail to have a glance of the animals leave the zoo dissatisfied.
When asked about the water availability, zoo curator S Sri Saravanan said there is no water problem in the zoo as of now. ‘’We have a requirement of 2 lakh litres of water everyday and we are meeting the requirement from the bore well on the premises and are not depending on any external source,’’ he told Express. At the same time, he is aware that ground water is depleting and the bore well may not serve the needs of the zoo adequately for all times to come. Maybe, in the coming months, if the summer turns harsher and the ground water table falls further steeply, they may have to depend on private water tankers.
Keeping in view the alarming temperature levels, the zoo veterinary doctors are monitoring the condition of the animals for any symptoms of sunstroke or dehydration and taking measures for their protection, he explained.
ANIMAL ADOPTION: The animal adoption scheme, initiated by the zoo with an intention of involving the public, has not received the desired response. Though some people came forward to adopt animals like white peacock, peacock and ostrich, it was not to the expected level.
The zoo authorities fixed Rs 5 lakh for adopting elephants or giraffe, Rs 1 lakh for lion, tiger and white tiger, Rs 65,000 for leopard, Rs 30,000 for bear for a year. Only four persons showed willingness to adopt the animals.
But the zoo curator has not lost hope. ‘’Though, the animal adoption scheme is yet to gain popularity, we are confident that people will soon come forward to adopt animals as the the amount spent on adoption is exempted from income tax under Section 80G,’’ Saravanan said.
Saying that the rates fixed for animal adoption should not be a deterrent, he appealed to people to adopt the zoo animals without minding the rates to protect wild life.
Recalling that an 8-year-old boy came forward to adopt a white peacock by paying Rs 5,000 a year which his parents gave him as his birthday gift which otherwise whould have been frittered away on meaningless celebrations.