Wildlife and Nature Conservation - Centre for Ecological Sciences

overseeing the management of zoos and to provide them with the necessary technical andfinancial inputs to come up to the desired level of management. The Authority specifiesthe minimum standards for housing, upkeep and veterinary care of the animals kept in azoo; evaluates and assesses the functioning of the zoos with respect to the prescribedstandards or norms and based on it, recognizes or derecognizes zoos. The law does notpermit functioning of a zoo in India unless it is recognized by the CZA. The Authorityalso, inter-alia, identifies endangered species of wild animals for purposes of captivebreeding, coordinates the acquisition, exchange and loaning of animals for breedingpurpose, coordinates training of zoo personnel in India and outside India, coordinatesresearch in captive breeding and educational programmes and provides technical andother assistance to zoos for their proper management and development on scientific lines.The Ministry of Environment and Forests provides grants-in-aid to the CZA for providingfinancial assistance to zoos in the country for improving housing facilities, veterinaryfacilities and upkeep of animals. During the IX Plan Period, the Authority had providedRs. 3748.43 lakhs for the welfare of animals in zoos. The X Five Year Plan outlay for theCZA is Rs 75 crores, and 83% of the Grants-in-aid of 1080 lakhs during the year 2002-2003 was released to zoos for improvement of animal housing and upkeep.Administrative and operational cost was kept to the minimum at 5.6% of the totalallocation.The CZA have evaluated 418 zoos in the country and granted recognition to 164 zoos.Since its inception in 1992, 91 zoos have been closed down and their animalsrehabilitated appropriately. Cases of these zoos, which were derecognized, are currentlybeing reviewed for their possible re-recognition. Seven mini zoos in Andhra Pradesh,Bihar, Daman and Diu, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana were closed,and the zoo at Peshwe Park, Pune was shifted to an alternative site at Katraj. Fourteenzoos, which were having inappropriate housing and existing in very small areas havebeen extended at their existing site or have moved to alternative larger and better areas.Since January 2002, the CZA has issued wild animal health care guidelines to the zoosand continuous monitoring by the CZA has resulted in the reduction of death rate amongtigers in zoo to an all time low since 1995-96 at 9.74%.For strengthening of diagnostic facility on a zonal basis six veterinary institutions locatedat Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Guwahati, Bareilly (IVRI), Anand and Jammu have beenidentified and MoU on modalities finalized and signed with the concerned universities.In order to infuse new technology in the field of assisted reproduction of endangeredspecies, a laboratory is being constructed in collaboration with the Centre for Cellular andMolecular Biology (CCMB) at Hyderabad.To facilitate coordination among zoos in ex-situ conservation, a website of the Authoritywas also launched. With a view to bring transparency in functioning of zoos, an inventoryof animals giving details of death and birth was published and distributed widely.Five Rescue Centres for rehabilitating 300 lions and tigers received from circuses havebeen established at Vandalur (Tamil Nadu), Bannerghatta (Karnataka), Nahargarh(Rajasthan), Visakhapatnam and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). In coordination with theMinistry of Social Justice, State Government and field officials, the CZA organized119