New Delhi, Sep 24 The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has asked chief wildlife wardens (CWLWs) of six states and a Union Territory to inspect the establishments managed by prominent Delhi-based NGO Wildlife SOS for allegedly violating the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Key alleged violations at Wildlife SOS’s facilities include operating as a zoo without mandatory CZA approval or statutory recognition; acquiring rescued wild animals without required approval for long-term care; and failing to submit animal inventories within prescribed deadlines, according to CZA letters accessed by PTI.
The CZA’s letters, all dated September 12, were sent to the CWLWs of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 12 facilities located across these regions are under the radar.
The CZA, a statutory body under the Union Environment Ministry, has asked the CWLWs to submit reports regarding the inspections within seven days of the letters’ issuance. A response to the queries sent to the CZA is awaited.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey told PTI that “Violation of these rules raises serious questions regarding animal provenance, microchipping, and legal custody. It also creates a complete blind spot regarding animal mortality, births, and acquisitions.”
The letters have been sent around a month after media reports emerged linking Wildlife SOS to an alleged leopard poaching case in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier this month, the Madhya Pradesh High Court withdrew the interim protection granted to the NGO’s co-founder and CEO Kartick Satyanarayan in the case, but on Tuesday, the Supreme Court restored the protection.
Established in 1995, Wildlife SOS has over the years launched several initiatives to protect India’s endangered animals and natural habitat, including anti-poaching activity, rescue and rehabilitation facilities, and in-situ habitat conservation.
However, recent developments, including CZA’s letters, have raised serious questions about the NGO’s operations.
Under Section 38-H of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, no zoo can operate without being recognised by the CZA, and none can be established without obtaining the prior approval of the authority.
Moreover, a zoo has to renew its recognition three months prior to the expiry of the validity of recognition by making an application to the CZA, according to Rule 8 of the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009.
The WPA, 1972, defines a zoo as an establishment, whether stationary or mobile, where captive animals are kept for exhibition to the public, including a circus and off-exhibit facilities such as rescue centres and conservation breeding centres.
But Wildlife SOS’s bear rescue facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, for example, continued to operate without applying for a renewal application as mandated under the law, according to the letters. In Mathura, the NGO’s elephant conservation and care centre operated without obtaining CZA’s recognition.
“As per the records available with the Central Zoo Authority… establishments located in Uttar Pradesh, managed by the NGO Wildlife SOS and falling within the definition of ‘zoo’, are operating in contravention of various provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972,” says the CZA’s letter to Uttar Pradesh CWLW.
Similarly, establishments of Wildlife SOS in Haryana’s Gurugram, Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and Dachigam, and West Bengal’s Purulia have also allegedly violated the above-mentioned rules.
Another common alleged violation is of Section 38-I of the WPA, 1972, under which no zoo can acquire, sell, or transfer any wild animal or captive animal specified in Schedules I and II except with the CZA’s previous permission.
For instance, letters state that the NGO has allegedly flouted this regulation at the off-display area of Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park, which houses rescued sloth bears. The NGO manages the facility in collaboration with the Karnataka government.
The same rule has allegedly been violated at Bhopal’s off-display area of the Van Vihar National Park Zoo, which Wildlife SOS manages in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.
Some facilities have also not submitted inventories of animals housed and annual reports as per the prescribed time limit under Rule 11 in the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009.
The wildlife activist has written to various authorities, including the Union Environment Ministry and CZA, asking them to conduct a full, independent physical and veterinary audit of all animals currently housed in Wildlife SOS facilities.
Dubey has also urged that the management of these facilities should be transferred to state forest departments.
(PTI News)
