‘Not a single animal adoption since lockdown’, say financially struggling Uttarakhand zoos

DEHRADUN: Zoos in Uttarakhand — which are already facing financial crunch with no visitors during peak season owing to the pandemic — are finding it hard to manage upkeep of species with not a single animal being adopted since lockdown.The two zoos in the state, one in Nainital and the other in Dehradun, house 500 species combined, including 14 leopards, two tigers and even a few red pandas.Every year, at least 20 animals on average are adopted by wildlife lovers from both zoos helping ease some of the animal costs. But this year, both zoos have recorded no animal adoption since April. “Pandemic has hit incomes hard and that could be one reason animal lovers haven’t donated. While we didn’t see any adoption since April, we did get queries where people were willing to adopt a species if they could take it home,” said P K Patro, director of Dehradun Zoo.The animal adoption at zoos is largely symbolic with the ‘parent’ getting a certificate of adoption, free entry for a year, income tax rebate and felicitation. While adopting a tiger can cost Rs 4 lakh annually, a leopard can cost Rs 25,000 a year and most bird species can be adopted for Rs 5,000. Maintenance of animals is mostly through the revenue generated from ticket sales. While Dehradun Zoo generates about Rs 2 crore every year from ticket sales, Nainital Zoo makes Rs 3 crore approximately. But with peak season — March to July — witnessing no visitors due to the lockdown, funds have dried up. Nainital Zoo which reopened in June has had “negligible visitors”, said T R Bijulal, director of the zoo. Zoo staff said the animals were being fed from funds provided by the forest department and have urged animal lovers to step forward. The dire financial situation has led both zoos to allow people to sponsor animal feed for a week or a month. “We don’t want people to hesitate due to the costs, so we are asking them to contribute in any way they can,” said Patro.