PoW! | Vivek Dhage's Portfolio and Photoblog

PoW!: 20.03.10

Posted on: March 20th, 2010 in PoW! | 29 views

An Assam Macaque in the Bannerghatta National Park, Bangalore, India

The cardinal principle of any modern zoo is to serve the needs of the creatures it exhibits. But zoos in India do just the opposite; they serve the needs of the visitors. While the lawns are manicured, the paths pebbled and the waiting areas equipped with modern facilities, the animals are housed in cramped, dingy enclosures.

The Indian zoos suffer from congenital problems that they’ve found hard to shake off. They are run by unqualified and ignorant staff. They run on tight budgets, leading to food-shortage for animals. They are poorly designed, with no understanding of animal behaviour. Because of high inbreeding the animals have low immunity making them susceptible to disease; worse, there is little expert veterinary care available. Lastly, insensitive visitors ill-treat the animals, throwing objects at them or poking them, often resulting in their deaths.

Extracted from: http://indiatoday.com/itoday/20000724/wildlife.html