Edit: Born free, must stay free

That the Byculla zoo, popularly known as Rani Baug, is poorly run has long ceased to shock anyone. Every now and again, some voluntary organisation highlights the abysmal conditions at the zoo and the municipal authorities, who are responsible for its upkeep, talk about their grand plan to revamp the zoo and make it ‘world class.’

It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when Rani Baug was a must-see for visitors to the city, where they would spend half a day watching sad animals deprived of their freedom. Those were the days when there was no television, no amusement parks, no national park, no sea link and no Nariman Point. Sightseeing involved visiting the Gateway of India, the Hanging Gardens, the Taraporewala aquarium and the zoo.

Today, nobody in her right mind will take her guest to the zoo. This isn’t entirely the BMC’s fault. The world has moved on since the colonialists came up with the concept of zoos, based on ancient Greek and Roman practices, to ‘educate’ and ‘entertain’ people. Today, we have the television and internet where we can see animals in their natural habitat and learn all about them. Why, we can even holiday in far-off lands and see these species in the flesh, now that travel is so much cheaper and easier.

So, should the city be spending crores of rupees to maintain a cruel anachronism? To us, the answer is a resounding no. As for the animals, they should be moved into some better habitat where they can live out their last days in peace, far from the boorish crowds that seem to be the only visitors to the zoo today