Mumbai: Environmentalists have raised concerns regarding cleanliness in the Tiger Safari enclosure in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park alleging harmful objects lying in the closed habitat of the animals. Environmentalists have also alleged that the recent death of tiger cubs at the national park was due to the small enclosed habitat for the tigers.
Animal lovers and environmentalists associated with MumbaiMarch, a non-government organisation working for the betterment of Mumbai, have raised concerns regarding cleanliness in the closed enclosure of tigers and lions in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which was recently reopened after five years.
Citing pictures and videos of a tiger playing with a metal box, environmentalists have alleged that the habitat is not cleaned regularly, resulting in the presence of metal objects that can cause harm to the wild animals.
Gopal Jhaveri, an environmentalist and member of MumbaiMarch, said, “Some tourists that visited the national park recently have highlighted the issue of a tiger playing with a metal box. There should not be any man made thing lying around in their area. Apart from the metal box being harmful, its contents can be more dangerous for the animal. The national park authority charges heavy fees from the tourists but is still unsuccessful in providing a clean and safe environment to the animals.”
While expressing contentment about Tigress Srivalli giving birth to four cubs in the national park on May 17, the activists also accused the closed enclosure for the death of one of the cubs. One of the four cubs had reportedly died after being crushed under the tigress’ body. MumbaiMarch has demanded that the tigress and her cubs should be placed in a bigger cage to accommodate the mother and cubs.
Vikram Chogle, another environmentalist and a member of MumbaiMarch, said, “These animals are our national heritage. If they are being restricted to a closed area, we should at least ensure that the enclosure is spacious enough for them. When she was alone, the cage was enough for her, but now when she has cubs, they need a bigger cage so that everyone of them can have enough space. The park should have CCTV cameras to monitor the safety of the animals.”
