GUWAHATI: A total of 80 wild animals have been transferred from Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden to other zoos in the past ten years since 2012, the Assam government informed the state assembly on Thursday.
Replying to a question from Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Assam, Environment and Forest Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary said two black panthers have been transferred from the State Zoo to Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Gujarat in 2021.
Another black panther was transferred from the State Zoo to Sakkarbaug Zoological Park Junagarh in Gujarat in 2021.
Two one-horned rhinos have also been transferred from the State Zoo to the Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Gujarat, this year, Patowary said without mentioning any exotic animals transferred from the State Zoo.
According to the official figure the minister laid in the House, the State Zoo also transferred a Royal Bengal tiger to Aizwal Zoological Park in Mizoram and 2 one-horned rhinos to Gorakhpur Zoo in Uttar Pradesh during the year.
The zoo authorities transferred 2 Royal Bengal Tigers to Raipur Zoo, Chattishgarh (2012), one leopard cat to Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park, Patna, Bihar (2012), 2 jungle cats and 2 leopards to Bhagawan Birsa Zoological Park (2012), 4 leopards to Kanpur Zoological Park, 2 stamp tailed macaque to Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad (2016), 2 lesser adjutant stork to Chamarendra Zoological Park, Mysore ((2018), 1 capped langur to Nagaland Zoological Park, Kohima (2018), 1 black panther to Bhagawan Birsa Biological Park (2018), 1 slow loris to padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling (2018), one rhino and 1 leopard black to Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park, Patna (2019), 8 Sangai Manipuri deer to Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park (2019), Patna, 1 rhino and 2 hoolock gibbon to Chamarendra Zoological Garden, Mysiore (2019), 2 Himalayan black beer, 2 pigmy hog, and adjutant stork, 4 common palm civet, 4 brow antlered deer, 2 Burmese python and 3 hog deer, to Sakkarbg Zoological Park, Gujarat (2019), 2 Himalayan black beer to Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park, Patna (2020), 2 Sarus crane to Chamarendra Zoological Garden, Mysore ((2020), 1 hoolock gibbon to Biological Park, Itanagar (2020) and 8 brow antered deer to Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park, Patna (2021).
“All these animals have been transferred under the Animal Exchange programme and with permission from the Central zoo authority. The transfer has been done under Section 38(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” he said.
During this period, the State Zoo has received 93 species of wildlife from other state zoos and other agencies, the minister also said.
Of them, there were 2 pairs of "deo hah" (white-winged wood ducks) which have been received from Zoo Zlin, Czech Republic at the beginning of this year, he said.
The minister also informed the House that there are 1,196 species of wildlife in the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden at present. Of them, 551 are mammals, 381 are birds, and 264 are reptiles.
“The construction of the Giraffe and Zebra enclosure has been completed under modernization of Assam State Zoo at an estimated cost of ₹3.32 crore. The construction of the Amazonian walk has been entrusted to the PWD at an estimated cost of ₹2.98 crore," he also said.
The revenue from the state zoo is also in a declining trend. The revenue collection from the state was ₹2.21 crore in 2018-19 which rose to ₹2.23 crore in 2019-20.
But it has gone down to ₹4.67 lakh in 2020-21 and ₹1.24 crore in 2021-22. During the current fiscal, the revenue collection from the state zoo is ₹79.92 lakh (till September).
