The Hindu 27.07.2012
Fate of Coimbatore Corpn. Zoo uncertain
Identification of land continues to remain a challenge
With the licence issued by the Central Zoological Authority (CZA) for
the Corporation’s mini zoo at VOC Park all set to expire in July 2013,
identification of land for shifting the zoo continues to be a problem
for the official machinery.
The authorities are now hard pressed
for time to identify the land, prepare a master plan, appoint a
consultant, design the zoological park and begin the construction even
before the licence period comes to an end.
Inadequate
The
present zoo functioning on 4.61 acres of land came into existence in
1965. In 2004, the CZA during an inspection found the space inadequate
for providing an ideal habitat for the wildlife in captivity and
expressed concern over breeding.
It suggested shifting the zoo to a spacious place.
The
Corporation Zoo at present has 85 mammals, 219 birds, 11 deer, 26
bonnet macaques, six foxes, six large crocodiles, eight smaller ones,
three camels and 11 reptiles.
The CZA found the zoo space being
inadequate for holding so many mammals and not providing an ideal
habitat for the animals in captive breeding.
As per the directions
of the CZA in December 2003, some of the lonely animals Lion Raja (22
in 2003), Tigress Rani (21), Himalayan Black Bear – Pandian (26) and the
macaque (16) were shifted from Coimbatore to Aringar Anna Zoological
Park at Vandalur in Chennai.
The administration embarked on a land
hunt in 2004. A total of 36 acres of land at Kavundampalayam (the
erstwhile compost yard of the civic body), 26 acres of land at
Vellanaipatti in Kalapatti village belonging to the Hindu Religious and
Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, 68.4 acres of land at
Ettimadai belonging to the Revenue Department were considered.
Earlier,
the officials even thought of short listing two more places i.e.,
Anaikatti and another land of the HR&CE Department at Othakkal
Mandapam on Pollachi Road. The land hunt continues even after eight
years.
With regard to the nearly 60 acre land identified at
Ettimadai beyond Madukkarai on the outskirts of the city, the Central
Zoological Authority, the licensing body for zoological parks, should be
first convinced about the land for locating the zoo.
Elephants
With
regard to the Ettimadai land, its location at the foothills of Western
Ghats though found ideal for captive conservation, movement of
pachyderms raised a question on its suitability for the zoo.
Then came the question of a railway line that separated the land from the National Highway.
Now,
inquiries reveal that the said land being assigned for zoological park
would not materialise, as it was originally assigned for tribal people.
Now,
the licence issued by CZA is valid till July 2013 and the authorities
will have to step up their hunt for land and prepare a master plan as
the CZA had already given Rs. 80,000 towards the same.
Minimum
As
per CZA norms, a mini zoo required a minimum of 25 acres of land. The
existing zoo was only in 4.61 acres of land. The official machinery on
one side was trying to explore the possibility of getting land adjacent
to the zoo measuring a little over four acres so that the space
constraints could be overcome.
Even then, the 25 acre norm of the Central Zoological Authority could not be complied with.
With
not much time left, the fate of corporation zoo remains uncertain. When
contacted, Corporation Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy said that the civic
body was aware of the problem on hand.
Efforts are on to get a substantial share of the land adjacent to the prison premises.
Of the 44 acres, efforts are on to get more than 15 to 20 acres for shifting the zoo there.
Meanwhile,
works relating to preparation of master plan, appointment of
consultants and preparation of design would begin and the CZA would be
approached for getting some more time to just complete the construction
and shift the zoo.
Since the earlier efforts for identifying a
land had gone in vain, the official machinery was expediting the land
identification process so as to get the project going before the licence
expires, Mr.Ponnusamy said.
Licence issued by Central Zoological Authority for zoo at VOC Park will expire in July 2013