Guwahati, Dec 8: Activists of the Chiriakhana Suraksha Mancha staged a sit-in protest against the alleged transfer of several species of animals from the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden here to a private zoo in Gujarat.
The Mancha, formed in 2017 to ensure the well-being of the Assam State Zoo, alleged that nine species of monkeys, two rhino calves, several eight-horned deer, among other animals, were taken in two trucks and three small vehicles from the state zoo in the wee hours of Thursday en route to the zoo coming up on Reliance’s premises at Jamnagar.
“We staged an hour-long sit-in in protest against such large-scale transfer of wild animals and even exotic species from the state zoo to other zoos in the country. Since 2018 till date, about 1100 animals of Assam State Zoo have been transferred to various zoos in the country in the name of exchange. During the period, only 19 animals from other zoos have been brought to the state zoo here,” alleged Rajkumar Baishya, the general secretary of the Mancha.
Baishya further alleged that a woman activist from the Mancha was “manhandled” by authorities of the zoo during the protest staged on the zoo premises in the wee hours here.
“This incident happened when we tried to remove the tarpaulin from one of the vehicles where the animals were kept. We condemn this atrocious incident and demand action from the state government against the authorities involved. Street vendors near the zoo also joined the sit-in demonstration staged by our activists today,” he said.
The Mancha, in this regard, will be organising an awareness meeting of citizens here on Saturday.
“According to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) rules, such exchange can take place only between government zoos and not between a government and a private zoo,” Baishya claimed, even as officials maintain that transfers can take place with the permission of CZA.
He further alleged that exotic and precious wildlife from the Northeast have been finding a way to the international market through unscrupulous means over the past few years, which he said should be stopped immediately.
Last month, the Assam Youth wing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) moved the Gauhati High Court, seeking its intervention to stop the illegal transfer of wild animals from the state to Gujarat.
It was alleged that 25 exotic animals from Assam State Zoo to the same zoo in Gujarat.
It may be mentioned that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Assam State Zoo and the zoo in Gujarat on August 14, 2020. According to official sources, the memorandum was signed to facilitate technical and scientific exchange between the zoos.