The Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) which has been making news for sometime now for the death of its animals — some for natural reasons and others due to ailments like bacterial infection — is gearing up to meet the challenge head on with the new executive director, R Raju, announcing a slew of measures to streamline animal care at the facility.
Raju took charge a week ago from Milo Tago who had served at BBP for three years.
Raju said he had already scrutinised all animals in the zoo and was chalking out a plan for the park. The first challenge facing the park is the identification of ailing animals and monitoring their health and hygiene, he said.
This will be followed by preventive care for larger mammals. Strict feeding times will be followed — herbivores will be fed between 11 am and 11.30 am and carnivores in the afternoon. This will also help ensure transparency in the quality of food given to animals, he said.
Water analysis will be conducted, while underground drainage and sanitation plans will be taken up.
Pairing of solitary animals which could be in psychological stress for lack of companionship will be taken up through exchange programmes with other zoos, said Raju, who had served as director of Mysore zoo in the early 1990s.
On bridging the gap with people, he said the park would soon be hosting its own website. Animal descriptor signs which are rather disappointing in the zoo will also be improved, said Raju.
A leopard had attacked a hog deer in the zoo earlier this week raising questions on how the park will deal with the leopards whose natural territory has been used to establish BBP.
Any BBP plans needs to consider that the adjoining 104.27 sq km Bannerghatta National Park is a rich habitat for a wide variety of fauna including jackals, snakes, leopards and wild boar.
