Government to move Laxmi, Anarkali out of Byculla zoo

Nearly 15 days after Laxmi killed an unidentified man at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan in Byculla, the state government has decided to shift the elephant and her zoo mate, Anarkali, to the custody of the forest department.

Following a directive of the central zoo authority (CZA), which bars all zoos from keeping elephants, the government has started the official procedure to shift the 55-year-old Laxmi and 46-year-old Anarkali, said minister of state for urban development Bhaskar Jadhav in the legislative council on Monday.

Jadhav was responding to a query from Vinod Tawde (BJP) on visitors’ security at the Byculla Zoo. On March 28, an alleged drug addict entered the elephant enclosure and was brutally killed by Laxmi.

“After the incident, we have started a procedure to ensure that there will be no elephant at the zoo. We have written a letter to the forest department to take charge of the elephants,” Jadhav said.

Animal experts, however, feel shifting the zoo elephants may turn out to be a huge task. Laxmi and Anarkali have been captive elephants for over 40 years and have been fed a diet of sugarcane and grass daily. Also, they have been sheltered from the sun and rain, they say.

“Unless the authorities make a proper arrangement for these elephants, they cannot survive in the wild,” said Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar, advisor to the Byculla Zoo. Proper fencing has to be done in the area where they are shifted so that they do not stray outside the boundaries. They will need some monitoring and regular check-ups by veterinarians.

“The CZA has to approve the area. Only then can the elephants be rehabilitated,” said Kaginkar.

Denying that the shifting of the elephants had anything to do with the incident where Laxmi had killed a trespasser, Dr Sanjay Tripathi, zoo superintendent and veterinarian said, “The procedure was started long ago, as all zoos have to comply with the CZA norms.”

The deputy municipal commissioner wrote a letter to the chief wildlife warden asking for the animals to be shifted in November 2009. “But so far, we haven’t received any communication from them,” said Tripathi.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has for long been demanding the implementation of CZA rules, is happy with the announcement. “This is a great victory for animals and will be the first step in starting the process to move all elephants out of zoos and circuses,” said Dharmesh Solanki, manager special projects.