While a few months ago, a fawn's death caused allegedly due to lack of proper care and the theft of Chinkara from the enclosure had brought to light the sorry state of management, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has now proposed to appoint a full-time veterinary doctor.

Recruiting a full-time veterinary doctor is mandatory as per the norms laid down by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), which in its letter on December 23, 1997, instructed the VMC to appoint a full-time veterinary doctor, warning that the non-compliance would lead to violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.

In a proposal which has been forwarded to the Standing Committee, the administration has stressed the need to appoint a full-time veterinary doctor. Although it had forwarded a similar proposal early this year, the General Board decided to appoint a part-time doctor stating that there was no provision for a post of a full-time veterinary doctor.

The recent proposal demands to reconsider the earlier decision and seek a doctor on deputation from the Animal Husbandry department. It further states that if a doctor was not available the post should be filled after giving advertisements.

According to CZA letter, the duty of the veterinary doctor is to check the quality of food served to the birds and animals and ensure that animals are dewormed. Among other things, the doctor is also supposed to maintain postmortem reports of the animals and birds which die in the Zoo.

Only recently, the VMC had closed main gates of the Sayajibaug for vehicular traffic to protect more than 1,000 birds and animals of over 150 different species and plants from pollution.

Despite the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery authorities raising a hue and cry claiming that the step had decreased the number of visitors, the VMC has remained firm on not re-opening the gates.