Mysore Zoo flooded three times in as many years

Call it erroneous civic administration or callousness on part of the authorities — the animals in the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden have to pay with their lives. In the third flooding incident in as many years two animals have died when their enclosures were flooded by the waters of a swollen Karanji tank due to excessive rain on Thursday night. An adult Neelgai (of the deer family) and a bison died in the floods.

“The flooding has become an annual feature of this zoo. Though for the last two years the floods have not been to the magnitude of causing death of animals they did pose serious levels of pathogen infection giving sleepless nights to the veterinary specialists of the zoo. But this time the floods were been more pronounced and quick,” zoo authorities said.

“The Mysore City Corporation is to be blamed for this tragedy. We have asked them several times in the past year to clear the clogged flood outlet pipes on the far end of the Karanji tank, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears,” said Manoj Kumar, executive director, Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden.

Speaking to DNA, Addoor B Ibrahim, Commissioner, Mysore City Corporation said, “The Karanji tank is a placid water body also serving as a bird sanctuary.  To disturb it during the summer is like stirring a hornet’s nest, any official who takes up the drive to clear the clogged drains will risk the blame of being environmentally insensitive.”

Explaining the kere’s uniqueness, he said, “It tapers in size as if it was some sort of a funnel, draining excessive water naturally towards the zoo.” Embankments have been built on the other side, he agreed that “there could have been some clearance of clogged storm water drains at the mouth of Karanji tank on the far side, but that just did not happen”.

Placing the blame on Friday night’s rain, he said, “Karanji Tank has proven to be very porous and its catchment area us just 20 sq km which makes it worse if it rains heavily and in any case 86mm of rains in just few hours was too much for this tank.” An engineer with Mysore City Corporation who is in charge of the walls built around the Zoo said, “The eight-foot high wall which was the only protection against flood water collapsed.” He pointed out that it collapsed because “it had no pillar support and was a brick and mortar structure that just could not prevent the gushing water from entering the zoo.” Another wall built around the African Elephant enclosure also collapsed.

“It is not that we left the animals to fend for themselves, our entire rescue team was in place even while the flooding began we used every measure to rescue the animals that were in the path of the floods,” said Jayakumar, member, Secretary of Central Zoo Authority.

“I don’t think the Neelgai died due to flooding. This 14-year-old Neelgai was ailing from some health disorder for the last two days and probably died due to ingestion of flood water. I cannot confirm about the death of bison.”

Zoo authorities worked overnight on Thursday and entire Friday to clear the flood waters and make the zoo ready for the weekend crowd. Even on Saturday when the cleaning up was taking place visitors were allowed into the zoo. One of the guides Nagaraj said,

“I have faint recollection of the same situation in 1993 when many crocodiles and Ghariyals had washed away due to flooding from the Karanji tank.”

Jayakumar said, “we have launched a search and rescue operation in the zoo and there could be some amphibian wildlife still were missing and we are sure they are still around and we will restore them to their enclosures”

The Zoo authorities fear that some aquatic wildlife may have entered Karanji tank as the flood water receded, “that
we will come to know only when the final head count of animals will be taken on Sunday”, said officials.