Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

The king of the forest in wilderness

By S. Annamalai

SATUR NOV. 27. Five wild animals, which ought to be spending their time in a milieu of flora and fauna, are confined to a narrow cage here.

Though fed regularly, their movements have been curtailed, so much so they have to jump over one another to gain space inside the cage. These animals have been left behind here by a circus company, which has now pitched tent in Kerala.

Two lions, two lionesses and a monkey have been left in two cages put up on a private property, half-hidden from the human eye. These animals are stranded as permission has been denied for their entry into Kerala. The company, which had transported the animals to Sattur for its show in September with permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Chennai, could not take them beyond this town. On September 21, it wrote to the Wildlife Warden, Srivilliputtur, saying that ``due to some obstacles we are not shifting our wildlife''.

The lions have been huddled into a cage, with a partition separating the males from the females. The cage is taken care of, by five employees of the company. Entry into the property has been restricted, and no odd intruder is welcome for one of the lions which roars in disapproval at the sight of an alien. The other one, wearing a resigned look, seems not to mind its confinement. One of the lionesses has cataract in the left eye.

The lone monkey is placed in a smaller metal cage at a distance and has as its friends, workers from a nearby yarn mill.

A team of Forest department officials, which inspected the animals today, said they had not been abandoned by the company, which possessed an ownership certificate issued by the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Madhya Pradesh.

The employees minding the animals claimed that the lions were being fed with 35 kg of meat, 5.5 kg of cabbage and 15 litres of milk daily. The cage, secured with iron bars and ropes, was being cleaned daily to prevent infection. The Forest officials said the animals could starve for three days if they were properly fed for two days. Residents near the private property said they did not find the animals a disturbance. In fact, many have become friends with the monkey, which obeys their commands.

The question now is how long should the animals spend their time in confinement. The Forest department officials at Srivilliputtur affirmed that leaving the wild animals in a public place was a violation of the Wildlife Act.

Action would be initiated against the company. But a decision on whether the animals should be taken over by the Forest department and sent to the Vandalur zoo could be taken only by officials in Chennai, they explained. However, the company, they said, had given an assurance that it would take back the animals on its return to Sivakasi. Until then the `king of the wild' will have to be a master of a cage.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Sonia appeases all factions
• Future uncertain, PM must ensure justice: ryots
• Unions turning to global NGOs
• Rights fora demand probe into encounter
• Semmalai must quit for Salem hospital incidents: Arumugham
• The king of the forest in wilderness
• Anti-naxal operations will continue, NSA to be invoked

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu