Z for Zoo – Kolkata Chronicles

When I started this A2Z for Kolkata chronicles there were many alphabets I was unsure about. But not Z. Z was destined to be the zoo. The Alipore Zoo. You see, as far as my memory goes, Alipore Zoo has been one of the most quintessential part of my childhood frolics. My first school picnic, family picnic. The animals, the park, the birds…oh they excited me so much. We stopped visiting once I grew up. My parents used to complain too much crowd and none of my friends shared the same enthusiasm. And then my husband came along. Who shared a child like fervor for the zoo thing and it became our Christmas day ritual.

So on a pleasant, winter afternoon we would be there, swimming through the huge wave of crowds, struggling to get a glimpse of the star of the Zoo, the royal Bengal tiger or the chirping colourful birds. The place would be overflowing with children and adults alike. Established in the year 1875 Kolkata Zoo is known to be the Oldest Zoo in India. The Alipore Zoo is perhaps the most known for being the home of the expired Aldabra giant tortoise ‘Adwaita’, a tortoise who had lived for over 250 years before he died in the year 2006. Spread over an area of 46.5 acres, the zoo houses abundant and plentiful wildlife of the country at its best. Modernization of the zoo, including the addition of new glass-walled enclosures and building of aviaries, has further led to an increase in the popularity of this zoo. And any planned tour to the city never drops this place from the itinerary.

But, there is slope side to this popularity. Irresponsible visitors and not so strict management is leading to poor maintenance of the place. People would eat, litter the places with wastes, and even make their child pee at any place! The place needs better maintenance and the animals need more care.

However, though this topic, I had decided 1 month ago, today while I write after home isolated for more than a month during the lockdown, I do have a new perspective. Do the zoos actually perform a role in conservation and education as they so feverishly emphasize? Or are they simply prisons for these hapless animals? Yes, they are fed, from time to time but, is that enough. We can at least explore the world in our isolation through the internet and Television. But, these animals? Will they ever know the taste of freedom? Aren’t we being extremely selfish in putting them in small cages like this? Can there be any other alternative? A rescue centres for abused wildlife and undertake breeding programmes only when there is a genuine possibility for reintroduction in the wild, perhaps. These are topics for debate, I know. But, maybe we can ponder over them with a little more compassion in the coming days and I may have lost a part of my enthusiasm for the zoo thing, which is still quite an iconic place for the city.

Note: This blog is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge