A little over a month ago, the Coimbatore Corporation moved a resolution that allowed members of the public to adopt the animals and birds at its zoo. The reason cited was to provide better care for the animals and birds, for which the Corporation now spent Rs. 33 lakh.
As of Tuesday, few takers have shown interest. In fact, none has come forward to adopt the animals and birds, a source said in a candid admission of the response.
The response to the proposal is a sad reflection of the state of affairs in the zoo, said sources on condition of anonymity.
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Though the idea of the Corporation to follow the Mysore Zoo management’s model to draw people for adoption is welcoming, prior to drawing parallels with the Mysore Zoo, the Corporation must ensure that the zoo matched in facilities with that of the Mysore Zoo.
The zoo, spread over 4.50 acre of land near the VOC Park Grounds, has 335 birds, 106 mammals and 54 reptiles.
The space available is more than sufficient to accommodate the animals at present. It is wrong to say the zoo is congested as the Central Zoo Authority’s space recommendation is applicable only to big animals, official sources said.
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But that is not the only issue that the zoo is facing.
The Central Zoo Authority is yet to issue a fresh permanent licence to the Corporation Zoo after its licence expired in 2010.
The Corporation has been managing the zoo by getting one extension after another.
The source said prior to drawing patrons, the Coimbatore Corporation must shift the zoo to a spacious, well-planned space where both the animals and visitors would feel comfortable.
The present one is too crowded.
And, without doing what is needed, it is a tall order for the Corporation to find people to adopt animals and birds, the sources added.
The official sources said that the move to shift the zoo to a new location is under the State Government’s consideration.