West Bengal’s forest minister has ordered an immediate improvement in food quality and an increase in the quantity of food supplied to animals at Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo after a joint inspection by the state’s forest minister Manoj Oraon and minister of state for forests Dibakar Gharami.
The ministers inspected the zoo after taking charge in the new cabinet and expressed concern over the animals’ health, food arrangements and overall management, according to a report by Anandabazar. The report said the inspection identified alleged irregularities involving the quality and quantity of food provided to the zoo’s animals, as well as deficiencies in their upkeep.
The report described some carnivores as appearing severely undernourished and said concerns were also raised about the condition of elephants, deer and foxes. These observations were attributed to the ministers during their visit. No independent veterinary assessment, animal-health records or inspection report was included in the supplied material.
After the inspection, Oraon directed officials to improve the standard of food supplied to the animals immediately and increase the quantity allocated to them. He said the forest department’s primary responsibility was to ensure that animals kept at the zoo were properly cared for and remained healthy.
“Many lapses and defective practices came to our notice. This disorder cannot continue for long; everything must be put right quickly,” Oraon was quoted as saying. He also warned that funds allocated for animal food must be spent entirely for that purpose and said action would be taken if departmental instructions were ignored.
The directives place food procurement, allocation and day-to-day animal care at the centre of the department’s response. The supplied report does not specify the existing food budget, procurement contracts, quantities served to individual species, veterinary staffing levels or a deadline for completing the improvements.
Gharami, while describing the inspection, alleged that the zoo had suffered from inadequate oversight under the previous administration. He referred to the zoo’s location in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency and claimed that neither the former chief minister nor the concerned forest minister had exercised sufficient supervision over its functioning. Those political allegations were made by the minister and were not independently substantiated in the supplied report.
Gharami also said several carnivorous animals were in a particularly worrying physical condition. He said the department would consult Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari and seek necessary directions for restoring the animals’ health and arranging their rehabilitation. The report did not provide details of a rehabilitation plan, medical protocol, additional funding or a timetable for implementation.
The ministers’ inspection makes animal-care standards and administrative monitoring the immediate operational priorities at Alipore Zoo. The next steps identified in the report are the improvement of food quality, an increase in food quantities and consultations on measures to restore and rehabilitate animals whose health is considered poor.
