The Hindu 23.12.2013
Zoo finds a way to manage waste
The Zoo and Museum Department is on track to become
self-sufficient in managing biodegradable waste. The department had
considered options such as a modern magnetic field-based machine, but
finally settled for the tried and tested technology of vermicompost.
The
unit is built next to the rhinoceros enclosure. A portion of the three
large rectangular pits have been filled with dung, dried leaves, and
food waste and is expected to yield manure in 90 days. “Only after one
cycle is completed can the exact amount of manure produced be precisely
calculated. In time, close to one tonne of high-quality manure can be
produced a week from this units,” Zoo Director B. Joseph said.
Since
the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant was closed two years ago, the
Zoo and Museum Department had to rely on a third party to cart away
waste in bulk daily. Considering the footfall and the waste left from
feeding the animals and cleaning enclosures, it turned out to be a huge
burden on the department’s coffers.
Officials from
the Kerala Agricultural University visited the zoo and extended support
to the latest venture. Currently, four keepers have been entrusted with
the responsibility of managing the unit.
Mr. Joseph
said the manure generated would be sold to farmers and other groups in
the city engaged in cultivation. “We have not yet set a price. We
propose to set aside the revenue from the fertilizer sale for zoo
employees who are managing the unit,” said Mr. Joseph.
Keeping FMD at bay
The
cloven-hoofed creatures in the city zoo are still facing the threat of
foot-and-mouth disease. Since the Animal Husbandry Department had issued
timely alerts, the department could take precautions such as placing
foot and tyre dips near the entrances and administering the Raksha-Ovac
vaccine on larger animals such as the nilgai and gaurs earlier this
year.
They have now cordoned off the section of the
zoo accommodating species susceptible to the deadly disease. Visitors
have to take another route that leads straight to the big cats’ section
from the elephant and rhino enclosure, bypassing the cloven-hoofed.