The Madras Crocodile Bank had recently decided to shift around 1,000 crocodiles to Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat.
But a public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court against the move to shift the crocodiles.
Initially, the forest department had permitted the release of surplus crocodiles in the wild and other viable habitats. However, in 1994, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests discontinued the programmes to release captive bred crocodiles in the wild.
That led to a problem of too many crocodiles at the Madras Crocodile Bank. Hence, the trust, a non profit charitable organisation, began transferring the surplus reptiles to other zoos and rehabilitation centres in India and abroad.
The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust has told the court that the decision was taken purely in the interest of the crocodiles. According to the trust, the Gujarat centre, supported by Reliance Industries Limited, has world class facilities to take care of the reptiles.
It was also brought to the notice of the court that the transfer had been approved by the Central Zoo Authority.
Script: Mohamed Imranullah S.
