Nagpur: Questions raised as Gorewada safari allowed, but wildlife parks remain closed

NAGPUR: The death of a lioness in Chennai zoo due to suspected Covid-19 had triggered closure of all wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and tiger reserves in the country. Even as they remain shut, the opening of zoo safari by district and civic authorities as part of allowed indoor and outdoor activities has raised a controversy.
The Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo will open for visitors from Tuesday.Safari will be allowed in closed buses from 8.30am till 4.30pm. The Indian Safari will remain closed every Monday. Bookings can also be made online on mahaecotourism.gov.in. From Tuesday to Friday, per person entry will be Rs240 and on weekends it will be Rs 320.
“When everything has been unlocked in the city, Maharajbagh Zoo will also take a decision in a day or two to open for the public. We have no orders from Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to keep the zoo closed,” says Dr Sunil Bawaskar, zoo officer in charge.
“The decision, although welcome, is surprising. Wildlife lovers wanting to visit Tadoba and Pench are irked by the fact that while a zoo triggered the closure of parks, ironically the zoo safari is opening but not tiger reserves. Closure of parks has caused huge loss of employment for locals,” said wildlife lover Nikhil Abhyankar.
After relaxation in Covid-19 norms in June, when Tadoba was set to reopen, NTCA deputy general secretary of forests Rajendra G Garawad on June 7 issued an advisory to all chief wildlife wardens to keep tiger reserves and sanctuaries closed citing the death of a lioness at Vandalur zoo in Chennai due to suspected Covid, and other lions also being infected. Barring tiger reserves in MP, all wildlife parks in the country are closed since then.
Naturalist Himanshu Bagde says, “We have absolutely no problem in the opening of zoo safari but why are tiger reserves still closed. It is illogical to claim that wildlife safari will affect wild animals. Zoo animals are vulnerable to Covid as they come in contact with humans while this is not true in the case of jungle safari. In MP Pench, not a single case of Covid-19 has been reported after safari started from June 1, with all precautions.”
Gorewada officials said, “In our safari, there is no Covid threat to animals from humans as safari will be operated in closed buses. Secondly, as zoos are monitored by CZA, the NTCA order is not applicable to us. Tiger reserves get grants from the NTCA and have to follow its orders.”
“Logically speaking, it is true that if zoos have triggered Covid then these should not be opened for the public. But as most zoos run on gate receipts, they will not be able to sustain for long and hence should be allowed to open,” they said.