Saki skinning -- Orissa experts fear for Nandankanan cats at Andhra zoo

Saki skinning -- Orissa experts fear for Nandankanan cats at Andhra zoo
KAMAL GOPINATH

BHUBANESWAR, OCT 9: In the hype and aftermath of the death of a dozen felines at the Nandankanan Zoological Park here, the state government had bowed to pressure and shifted 13 cats, including six tigers, to different destinations in Andhra Pradesh. This had also been recommended by the Central Zoo Authority to reduce the population of these endangered beings at the park.

But any optimism animal lovers might have felt at this is quickly subsiding. First came the news that one of the lions had died while being shifted to the Visakhapatnam Zoological Park. Then, the gruesome pictures of tigress Saki skinned inside the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, splashed across newspapers. Two of the rare white tigers from Nandankanan park have been shifted to the same Nehru zoo. The thought that these felines might meet the same fate as Saki is worrying many in Orissa.

The earlier incident of the lion's death while being shifted from Nandankanan had also stirred a hornet's nest and triggered protests, forcing Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to announce that all the Nandankanan cats would be brought back and more cats would not be shifted.

However, Orissa Chief Conservator of Forests S K Patnaik puts up a brave front, pointing out: ``Well, we cannot allow our confidence to be shattered by a stray incident, though the poaching of Saki on the zoo premises is an alarming development. I am sure the Nehru zoo authorities will adopt necessary safety measures in the wake of the incident.'' He also informs that the cats from Nandankanan had been moved to Visakhapatnam and Tirupathi zoos and the decision to move two white tigers to Hyderabad had been the government's.

Patnaik's optimism notwithstanding, the skinning of Saki has left wildlife and zoo officials very worried. ``Though the Chief Minister has announced that all the cats would be brought back, it is not going to be easy. Even if we develop facilities here, there is no guarantee that the cats would be given back by the zoos which have received them now and will naturally develop facilities for the upkeep and care of these cats. Realistically speaking, we can expect the cats back only on breeding loans,'' confesses a top forest official.

Animal rights activists who had succeeded in ensuring that more animals were not transferred from Nandankanan earlier are up in arms and ready to mount more pressure on the state government to bring the cats back. ``We will soon launch an agitation demanding that the cats be brought back as they are not safe at their new destinations. We condemn the skinning of Saki and will increase the pressure on both the Union and state governments to ensure that a proper care system is developed,'' said Orissa People for Animals (PFA) Secretary J B Das.