Alipore Zoological Gardens - Disrepute

Disrepute

Pressed for space as Kolkata developed, and lacking adequate government funding, the zoo attracted a lot of controversy in the latter half of the 20th century due to cramped living conditions of the animals, lack of initiative at breeding rare species, and for cross-breeding experiments between species.

The zoo has attracted a lot of criticism over the years for keeping single and unpaired specimens of rare species like the Banteng, Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, Crowned Crane and the Lion-tailed Macaque. Lack of breeding and exchange programs has led to the elimination of individuals and populations of environmentally vulnerable species like the Southern Cassowary, wild Yak, Giant Eland, Slow Loris and Echidna.

The cramped, unsuitable and unhygienic conditions inside the cages, and in the zoo in general has been criticized for long. The death of a Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros sparked off speculation about the veterinary efficiency at the zoo. ZooCheck Canada found conditions in the zoo unsatisfactory in 2004. The zoo director Subir Choudhury has gone on record in 2006 saying:

We are aware that the animals and birds are not well in the cages and moats. Efforts are on minimizing their agony.

The zoo has also been criticized for the quality of its animal - visitor interaction. Teasing of animals was a common occurrence at the zoo, though corrective measures are underway. On 1 January 1996 the tiger Shiva mauled two visitors as they tried to garland it, killing one, and earning him the runner-up for the Darwin Awards. Another mauling leading to a death occurred in 2000. The zoo has also been criticized for its animal - keeper relations. A chimpanzee attacked and severely injured its keeper in Alipore Zoo, and numerous other incidents have been reported including the case of an elephant trampling its mahout to death in 1963 which had to be put down. In 2001, it was revealed that zoo staff drugged the Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros into relieving itself more often than normal, which enabled them to collect the urine and sell it on the black market as an anti-impotence medicine.