Indore: ​Indore zoo’s name muddied as it sources smuggled ​kangaroos from Mizoram

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya (Indore City Zoo) ​has earned a bad name for itself by giving purchase orders for kangaroos to persons who turned out to be animal traffickers and were arrested in West Bengal.​

​Though local zoo authorities are now trying to wriggle out of the situation, the Central Zoo Authority has taken cognisance of the matter and further investigation is on in that case.​

​Two cases of kangaroo trafficking were detected in North Bengal a few months back and during investigation it was found that they were destined for Indore city zoo.​

​In the first case, a red kangaroo was rescued from Kumargram near the West Bengal-Assam border in Alipurduar district, and two persons hailing from Hyderabad were arrested​ in the case.

This week, two young kangaroos were found on Gajoldoba Canal road near the city of Siliguri, West Bengal. The two young kangaroos were allegedly abandoned by the same traffickers​' group after realising the complexities of transporting them to Indore.

The arrested duo from Hyderabad held a ​purchase order issued by Indore city zoo​​, which was verified as authentic by the zoo authorities. The order showed that the city zoo had sourced the kangaroo from Brunnel Animal Farm in Mizoram.​ It is the same farm from where Indore zoo had got exotic birds like ​S​helled ​P​arakeets​.​

​Interestingly, according to Central Zoo Authority (CZA) guidelines, Indore zoo, which is under a municipal corporation, does not have the right to purchase animals, they can only get them in exchange or as gift.

​Now, the zoo authorities are saying that they would have sought permission after the kangaroos were brought to Indore! Logically, it should have been the other way around.​

City zoo in-charge Dr Uttam Yadav said, “The duo ​(arrested persons) ​had visited Indore a couple of months back and showed interest in ​the ​zoo. They wanted to send us the kangaroos as a gift like they had sent the birds in the past. We don’t have any knowledge about the two persons arrested with the consignment. We had told the farm that we would accept the gift only if it came with proper paperwork. We told them we will bear the transportation cost once the consignment reaches us.”

Published on: Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 01:04 AM IST