The health of Indian Zoo’s including the one at Byculla is as bad as public hospitals in our country which can make even healthy creatures sick. The death of a penguin at Byculla zoo within days when it was brought there was shocking and should act as an eye-opener. Zoos basically are homes for birds and animals but the natural habitat remains non-existent there. Money can buy comforts but can’t create a healthy environment for existence and animals like penguin can’t exist in air conditioned comforts but need cold climate to survive.
Public Zoos in our country should be run by private organizations for professionalism and accountability. The choice of creatures too should be according to our geographical conditions and public awareness too is a must so that animals are not tortured to death. They must be provided proper medical facilities too. Mumbai today has become a concrete jungle and it is advisable to shift the Byculla zoo to the outskirts of the city which is more conducive to greener environment and more suitable for animals to live and survive in their natural habitat!
S.N. Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
