Authorities at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai are seeking individuals across the country to come forward and adopt the animals at the park as the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced the number of those who usually come forward to help.
“We started this scheme in 2013 where an individual can adopt a particular animal in captivity for one year by paying a certain amount to the park. We stick the certificate with the donor’s name in front of the cage and allow the individual to visit the animal once in 15 days,” said Vijay Barabde, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Lion Safari Park, SGNP.
“This year, the number of individuals coming forward for adoption has reduced. We suspect that a reason could be the pandemic. As a result, we are now appealing to the public to come forward,” he added.
A number of celebrities such as former cricket player Sandip Patil, and actors Raveena Tondon and Sumit Raghvan are among the few who have come forward to adopt the animals. A senior IAS officer from the Maharashtra government has adopted a partially handicapped leopard and renews it every year on his daughter’s birthday. While the park authorities maintained that the move was not to earn money, it has helped the park earn around ₹30 to ₹40 lakh till date.
Among the animals available for adoption are seven leopards, five tigers and two lions. Other animals, including four-horned antelopes, nilgais, spotted deer, etc., are also up for adoption.
The amount to be paid to adopt an animal for a year is ₹3.10 lakh for a tiger, ₹3 lakh for a lion, ₹1.20 lakh for a leopard, ₹50,000 for a rusty spotted cat, ₹30,000 for a blue bull or a nilgai, ₹20,000 for a spotted deer and ₹10,000 for a barking deer.
“Any person, irrespective of his or her residence, can come forward and adopt an animal,” said Mr. Barabde.