CM’s plan to relocate city zoo triggers debate

…and city residents concerned. Talking about facilities to attract visitors and ensure that they stayed longer in the State, Mr. Satheesan asked whether the zoo should continue to exist in the heart of the city. “ It is cruelty to animals. They have their own habitat. We should shift them to Neyyar or some forest area, to an environment suited to their habitat. ” The freed-up space should be developed into a beautiful square similar to Madison Square in New York or that in Prague. It should have all facilities for visitors, Mr. Satheesan said. However, activists have expressed…

…It should have all facilities for visitors, Mr. Satheesan said. However, activists have expressed concern over the proposal. Writer and activist Sreedevi S. Kartha, in a social media post, termed the idea strange. Questioning the need for zoos at a time when one had more scientific information about wild animals, their natural behaviour, and the environment, Ms. Kartha pointed out that conservation did not mean collecting more wild animals but protecting the forests and ecosystems of wild animals. Even through the IUCN acknowledged the contribution of zoos in conservation, research, and reintroduction, the idea was not for animals to continue under conditions restricted by humans but to create conditions for…

…to The Hindu said that zoos were an outdated concept. In a social media post she pointed out that Zoos were not needed anywhere, animals should be allowed to live in peace. Former zoo veterinarian Jacob Alexander said if protecting the interests of the animals was the intention, the newly built Puthur zoo should be maintained properly and the animals shifted there. Building yet another facility to cage the zoo animals was not practical. The lion safari park at Neyyar suffered owing to lack of space. There were no big cats there and it was closed. Instead of relocating the zoo, a safari could be started so that animals could roam in the open. Lessons…