An animal adoption programme floated by the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in the city a few years ago is struggling to find takers.
Spread over 620 acres, the 42-year-old IGZP has 841 animals (including birds) belonging to 82 different species. The animal adoption initiative was started a couple of years ago, expecting good response from animal lovers. However, according to officials of IGZP, in 2018-19, there were just seven new adoptions that fetched ₹1.26 lakh as contributions. Of the seven, just two adoptions were for one full year while the others were only for a single day.
In 2017-18, the number of adoptions were 19. Of the 19, five animals were adopted for a year, while one animal was adopted for two years. The rest were adopted only for a single day.
“It appears that the concept still needs time to gain a foothold among the public, as only a few animal lovers and Public Sector Units (PSUs) and a couple of small-scale companies and some tourists have come forward to adopt animals. The response is low. Sometimes, schoolchildren contribute money when they come here on tours. On an average, the adoption rate is less than 10 per year,” says Curator R. Yasoda Bai.
‘Birds most preferred’
Most of the animal lovers prefer to adopt birds, such as pheasants, parrots, and swans, as adoption of birds costs only ₹100 per day. Among the animals, animals, the preferred ones are elephants, tigers and giraffes.
Unique features
According to officials, anyone, be it an individual, a family, corporation, school, club or group, can adopt any animal either on a day-to-day basis or on a yearly basis at the zoo. After choosing the animal of interest, a form has to be filled.
“The adoption programme covers expenditures such as food and medicine and other things. Adoptions can also be gifted to friends or family members,” said Ms. Yasoda Bai.
Adoption charges vary from ₹100 to ₹1,200 per day. While adopting a bird costs ₹100 per day, it costs ₹1,200 for an elephant. Adopting a tiger costs ₹600 per day.
“The adopter’s name will be etched or written at the enclosure of the animal. An authorised adoption certificate will also be given,” Ms. Yasoda Bai said.
