THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the growing controversy over the proposed shifting of the nearly 170-year-old Thiruvananthapuram Zoo from its 55-acre urban campus, a team of forest department officials is set to visit Vantara in Gujarat to study its wildlife management practices. A team of six members, including the director of Thrissur Zoological Park and the assistant veterinary officer of Kottoor Elephant Rehabilitation Centre, will visit Vantara to study how animals are housed, cared for and managed at the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre at Jamnagar.
The move comes at a time when the Chief Minister’s proposal to relocate the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo to a modern facility in the forest fringes has triggered opposition from sections of the public, political parties and animal-welfare groups. Meanwhile, protest campaigns seeking to protect the existing zoo have gained momentum.
However, a senior official with the forest department has made it clear that the Vantara visit is not part of the process to shift the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. The official said the department was neither consulted on the relocation proposal nor asked to prepare a report on its feasibility. The team will examine practices that could potentially be adapted in Keralam.
