DESPITE Central Zoo Authority’s (CZA) warning the Gorewada Rescue Centre and Transit Treatment Centre in Nagpur, which were established for the treatment of wild animals, have turned into a ‘picnic’ spot for politicians and bureaucrats of the city. As per CZA guidelines, the transit treatment and rescue centres must be used for medical purpose of wild animals and to keep problematic animals there. The forest officials who have work regarding rescue and rehabilitation, veterinarian and the staff of the rescue centre only are allowed to enter the premises of the transit treatment and rescue centres. However, the unofficial visits of various politicians and bureaucrats are common nowadays in both centres, violating the rules and causing life threat to the captive animals there.

 

In a recent instance, a top official of the Indian Railways, posted in Nagpur, visited the Gorewada Rescue Centre and took stock of working of the rescue centre. As per the information received, the visit was unofficial and he was welcomed by the staff of the centre on the directions of senior officers. Such visits of politicians and bureaucrats in Gorewada Rescue Centre and Transit Treatment Centre are common and it was observed by the CZA, too. As a result, CZA had issued a show cause notice to Gorewada Rescue Centre in 2022 to stop such visits. “CZA served a notice to Gorewada in this regard and till then the management followed the directions. However, some politicians and bureaucrats put pressure on the senior officers of the centres to conduct visits. In such situation the management allows them,” a senior forest official, aware about the development told ‘The Hitavada’ on condition of anonymity. After the CZA’s show cause notice in 2022, many politicians and bureaucrats like Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly, senior Railway officials, Judicial Officers, senior forest officers with their family and friends visited both the rescue and transit treatment centres just to witness the captive wild animals there, claimed one staff of the centre. “It is not a zoo. If you want to see captive wild animals then go to zoo.

 

Rescue and transit treatment centres are for treatment and rescue of wild animals. In these centres, the animals are already in panic mode and ill. In this situation, if an outsider visits the enclosure, the animal can get angry which is harmful for the caged wild animal,” said a wildlife expert. According to another senior forest officer, “In anger, captive carnivores can harm themselves by biting the cage in rage. Due to this, there are many cases of loss of canines of tigers and leopards which took place in these centres earlier.” Visit of outsiders in these centres can increase the chances of spread of infection and human borne diseases among animals residing here. Therefore, the authorities should restrict such ‘visits’ of politicians and bureaucrats for the betterment of captive animals, said the senior officer.