BHUBANESWARA: It is now the turn of former Union Environment and Forests minister Maneka Gandhi to turn the heat on Nandankanan Zoological Park for the death of five tiger cubs. Maneka has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying Nandankanan is regarded as the ‘worst’ zoo in the country with an unacceptable high mortality. “In one day, over 10 tigers died due to bad food,” she said referring to the tiger deaths in 2000. “I had sent them from Bokaro SAIL Zoo. All animals died immediately,” Maneka added. She also alleged that Rani, the sloth bear which was rescued from Keonjhar, is being ill-treated and locked up. The Zoo, the Lok Sabha member said, is refusing to send the animal to Bhopal despite the directive of Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Maneka, who demanded that action be taken against the Zoo officials, also pointed out that the staff and doctors need training because wildlife is the true heritage of the country. Interestingly, Maneka’s letter to the Chief Minister comes two days after People For Animals (PFA), an organisation she heads, lodged a complaint with the local police station over death of the tiger cubs.CHARGES DENIED: However, the Zoo officials pooh-poohed Maneka’s allegations terming them motivated. The mortality rate at Nandankanan was 3.2 per cent in 2009-10 as against the national average of 5.9 per cent for medium and large zoos under the CZA. “How can it be unacceptably high for Nandankanan. Let those who are targeting the Zoo find out for themselves,” said an official. Refuting the allegations that the sloth bear is being subjected to ill-treatment, the Zoo officials said Rani was seized from the tribal Ram Munda and is part of a judicial seizure. For its transfer from one forest division (Keonjhar) to another needs leave of the court. “This was informed to the CZA which agreed with the status. Since the corneal opacity in the left eye of the animal cannot be treated in Orissa, we had asked CZA to send in an expert from Indian Veterinary Research Institute which they are doing,” the sources added saying the animal is in quarantine ever since it was brought to the Zoo and has been separated from other inmates because it is a seized animal. About the death of the five cubs, the Zoo officials said of the 21 first litter births recorded in Nandankanan, in 18 all died.
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