(IN) Bombay Zoo debate

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

The attached message on Bombay Zoo is from a former

Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society, Mr Kisan Mehta. He

disagrees with my stance, which is fair enough. As CP Scott, the founder of

one of the world's best newspapers, The Guardian, remarked, " The voice of

opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard. " So here it

is, a voice in favour of saving Bombay Zoo at Rani Bagh, a perspective that

competes with my own, espousing its closure and relocation.

Mr Mehta and I are on opposite sides of the fence on this issue but I see

no reason why there should not be fruitful dialogue. At the end of the day,

the animals should have the best deal.

Best wishes,

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr Rob Laidlow;

, Nanditaben, Manoj,

 

I am highly obliged to Rob for emailing a copy of the Indian Zoo Inquiry at

the unsolicited recommendation of our friend

. I scanned through the Report running into

over 150 pages and I can only admire the pains and humane care

that have gone into deciding to study the zoos in India and actual

recording of a systematic analysis of conditions prevailing in the

zoos in India.

 

This has made the Report a dependable guide and starting point

for the authorities and if necessitated for concerned citizens to

initiate reforms for correcting delinquacies observed in Indian zoos.

 

I do not know as to how this study came to be taken up and

what follow up action was taken for any or all the zoos of India.

Now a days it is common place to observe studies and reports treated as

academic studies to be placed on the dusty shelves

of a library while the authorities continue to foist projects that

hardly meet the needs and expectations of citizens. So the community

receives programmes that are environmentally and

socially unacceptable.

 

I have no expertrise or even proper knowledge about zoos

though I have visited zoos that came in the way in India,

Europe, Asia and America and had the good fortune to be

the Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society

for a number of years.

 

I have absolutely no knowledge on how to manage zoos and sanctuaries yet as

an ardent environmental activist and nature

lover, we noticed long back that Veermata Jijabai Udyan,

popularly known as Rani Bagh (or officially named as Queens

Garden or Victoria Gardens as it was set up during the long rule of Queen

Victoria, the Empress of the British Empire) is

cramped up because of shortage of space and of large

tracts of space within Rani Bagh being used for activities

unrelated to the zoo needs.

 

As a Municipal Councillor of the Municipal Corporation of

Greater Bombay in the Sixities and Seventies, I worked for

acquisition of neighbouring lands on the south and east

sides upto the next road so that Rani Bagh becomes an

independent block. This has been included in the First and

Second Development Plans for Bombay.

 

We have taken up the issue of getting activities of the Municipal

Corporation (that owns and manages to Rani Bagh) shifted

elsewhere and not condusive to the health and peace for

wide life such as presenting programmes in the open air

theatre located within Rani Bagh to be closed odwn. You have possibly

noticed the huge structure of open air theatre where

noisy programmes would countinue past midnight and till early

morning. This practice has stopped following citizen action.

 

I am of the firm belief that affinity with and observation of

the ways that other forms of life follow are essential for

developing consideration and respect amongst humans

for hose forms of life. Alienation from wild life has resulted

in the humans killing and exterminating other forms. There is

an inbuilt fear amongst humans, for example, that snakes are

venomous and invariably sting every one. So humans kill

snakes whereever they notice them.

 

Zoos and sanctuaries are poor contrivances to inculcate

feeling of respect and love for wild life. After exterminating

species after species over years human seems to have

come to realise that affinity with animals is essential for

healthy development of humans. I welcome zoos and

sanctuaries in that perspective and therefore support

setting up and management of zoos in cenral locations

in human settlements to be easily accessible to humans.

 

Rani Bagh is in a central location that people, rich and poor,

can visit. Upcountry educational institutions orgnaisng

educational tours to Mumbai invariably include a visit to Rani

Bagh and Taraporewalla Acquarium located further south

as such visits provide the rare opportunity of exposing the

young minds to (more condierate than humans) forms of life.

 

Undoubtedly Rani Bagh like majority of zoos is in extremely

bad condition. Caging animals that humans come to appreciate

and respect is a permanent curse to animals exposing high

degree of insensitivity of keepers of zoos and of the citizernry.

 

But the recommendation you have made in the Report of

closing down Rani Bagh or any other zoo on the valid

consideration of conservation does not appear to be the

appropriate one. We should all work for creating and

upgrading facilities so that animals live in the natural

habitat to provide more lasting impression of animals'

saner and more friendly way of living.

 

You can appreciate that accepting the recommendation of

experts to close odwn a most centrally located public

facility would be most welcome in the prevalent situation

where everything ihnges around money. A closed down

Rani Bagh ill fetch to the owners and managers of Rani Bagh

a few billion Dollars which they would welcome however citizens

and mainly the growing gneration woill lose the only chance of

looking at other forms of life in natural atmosphere.

 

I am not an expert but as an environmental and social activitist

I feel creating the condusive conditions is more important duty

of the activist.

 

You may not be aware that the municipal corporation has

entered or is on the point of entering into a contract with

overseas corporates for improving conditions in Rani Bagh

and earning sizeable money. I and a few friends are totally

opposed to this proposal however I am afraid that we shall

not be able to save the Rani Bagh due to our failure to raise

financial resources and voluntary support from friends. Rani

Bagh will be gone and with that will be lost to humans for ever

the rare opportunity to understand and respect wide life.

 

I am sorry for this long letter however would appreciate your

guidance. Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta

---------------------------

Kisan Mehta Priya Salvi

Prakruti and Save Bombay Committee

102, MAUSAM, Plot No.285, Sector-28, Vashi,

Navi Mumbai-400705.

Mobile: 0091 9223448857 (Kisan Mehta)

Mobile: 0091 9324027494 (Priya Salvi)

http://www.savebombaycommittee.org

Please use my new email address.

kisansbc

 

 

 

-

** Rob Laidlaw <rob

*To:* kisansbc

*Sent:* Thursday, August 09, 2007 1:28 AM

*Subject:* Fw: Indian Zoo Inquiry copy

 

 

Dear Mr. Kisan Mehta:

 

asked me to forward you a copy of the The Indian Zoo

Inquiry. I have attached the document as a PDF file. Thank you for your

interest.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rob Laidlaw

Zoocheck Canada Inc.