(IN) Disorder at the zoo

[Guest guest]

3 years ago when I inspected Mumbai zoo, I received uncalled remarks

about my inspection that only veterinarian can write about zoo problem,

only they can make comments, my report was not scientific etc. etc.

hiding the facts I made. So now see below article. Dr. Deepa Katyal

visited the Municipal world class (?) zoo. So called biologists &

wildlife lovers now need to protect against zoo. We will continue to

highlight the cruelties in zoos, let's see who defends them!

 

Instead of having wildlife rescue rehabilitation trainings now its time

to train zoo professionals. Let me see how this zoo retain CZA

affiliation.

 

Nilesh

PAWS

 

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article & sectname=News%20-%20City & sec\

tid=2 & contentid=20090413200904130408278028cce8096

 

Disorder at the zoo

 

Mumbai Mirror spends a day at Byculla Zoo and finds that deer, monkeys,

elephants, hyenas all suffer from a host of diseases, including skin

disorders, chronic parasite infection and self-mutilation

 

 

By Alpita Masurkar

Posted On Monday, April 13, 2009 at 04:08:27 AM

 

 

Taking your children to the Byculla zoo is not merely a lesson about

different species - it is also includes a crash course in disease.

Several animals are plagued with disorders, from skin disease and

chronic parasite infection to self-mutilation caused by frustration,

according to Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) secretary-founder

Sunish Subramaniam and People for Animals (PFA) trustee, veterinarian Dr

Deepa Katyal.

 

Mumbai Mirror took a trip to the famous Rani Baug along with the two

animal rights activists and here's what we saw...

Neglect leading to mutilation

 

" None of the animals look happy. Imagine how human beings would feel

after living in a cage for years with nothing close to their natural

habitat in the surroundings. That is how the animals feel, " said

Subramaniam.

Hyena

 

 

The zoo has two hyenas, but they are kept in separate cages. While one

anxiously keeps pacing back and forth in its cage (called boredom

pacing), the other never steps out of its cave-like enclosure. " Hyenas

are pack animals. They cannot live alone. Since the hyenas here are kept

alone for years, they develop these behavioural changes. In the absence

of regular monitoring, they indulge in self-mutilation. They will rub

their head on the grills and the walls, which can lead to injuries.

There needs to be regular monitoring machines and cameras, " said Dr

Katyal.

Monkey

The red of the trademark red bum monkeys seems to extend up the backs of

some, while others have hairless patches all over their bodies. " Monkeys

are very close to humans and have a habit of grooming themselves. They

keep cleaning their hair by removing ticks. However, if they resort to

excessive cleaning, it may lead to a condition called alopecia, a skin

disorder where hair is lost in patches. The red rashes on the backs

could be rashes caused by excessively scratching. The monkeys need to be

cleaned regularly, " said Dr Katyal.

 

The monkeys also need entertainment to remain sharp, explained

Subramaniam. " There is one worn-out tyre in the middle of the cage. How

will the monkey ever reach it? The entertainment can be something as

simple as mirrors, some tyres and a couple of bars. Monkeys are

intelligent, but in the absence of any form of recreation, they resort

to harming themselves by violently shaking the nets on the cage, " he

said.

 

Hornbill

The hornbill is a double-beaked bird that makes for a unique sight. But

what attracted our attention was that it was hopping about strangely,

constantly rubbing its head on the ground. After zooming into some

photographs we had taken, we noticed that its feet had been entwined in

a piece of manja and it was trying to remove the string. No volunteer

appeared in the next half hour that we stood there and the hornbill

eventually managed to free himself from the string.

Skin disorders and parasites

 

Deer

The spotted deer, barking deer and the sambar all suffer from parasites

and skin disorders. " A very good indicator is the fact that there are

egrets and crows perched on the deer, constantly pecking at them. The

egrets peck at ticks and often end up pecking at the flesh. This can be

very troublesome and lead to wounds. The crows, on the other hand, go

only for the flesh, " said Dr Katyal. " The sambar suffer from bald

patches on their necks; these are definite cases of skin infection. "

Elephant

 

" Elephants' skin needs to be hydrated, but here, it is clearly dry. The

elephants appeared to have rubbed themselves against rough surfaces

regularly, leading to rash, " said Dr Katyal.

Report to CZA

 

Subramaniam had conducted a raid on the zoo a couple of years ago and

prepared a report highlighting the poor condition in which the animals

are kept. The report was forwarded to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA)

and other animal welfare groups.

 

" The condition has only worsened. There are no boards with descriptions

against most enclosures, defeating the whole purpose of a zoo. Visitors

stop before a cage for a minute and if they don't see any movement, they

walk away. Others harass the animals by throwing stones, food or poking

them with twigs, knocking on the glass enclosures in which the snakes

are kept, and so on. They can do this because nobody is there to watch, "

he said.

 

" They do not have to spend money. They can even bring college students

who work for the NSS as volunteers to man a cage for a few days. It

would be good education for them, too. Considering the sorry state in

which the animals are living, I will be preparing another report and

sending it to the authorities, " he added.

Authorities speak

 

Zoo veterinarian Dr Sanjay Tripathi remained evasive in his answers. Not

commenting on specifics of the monkeys, hyenas or elephants, he said:

" The deer are not suffering from any skin disease. They have constant

hair fall. The egrets and crows are a constant problem and we have

appointed a person to address this. Our education officer is concerned

with the boards describing the animals and we are working on that, too, " he

said.