Jamshedpur: Central Zoo Authority has approved a proposal of Tata zoo to give a financial assistance of Rs.5.43 lakhs to the latter for procurement of five squeeze cages and a surgical table for the newly constructed surgical room in the zoo.
The proposal was submitted by the zoo authorities to Central Zoo Authority seeking financial assistance for further strengthening of the health care services in the zoo with procurement of addition items like squeeze cages and surgical table so that timely and quality medical care is provided to the animals without any injury or harassment to them.
Squeeze cages can be made smaller or bigger through use of lever and pulley so that treating animal is made immobile during treatment. Squeeze cages will be used for treatment of lion, tiger, leopard, bear and hyena. Normally at times it becomes difficult to give doses or treat the animals as they are continuing mobile and hardly remain idle for a long time.
This is for the first time that Central Zoo Authority has gone out of way to provide financial assistance to a privately run zoo, a deviation from their policy to not fund the private zoos in the country. The reason for Central Zoo Authority coming forward in providing this assistance to Tata Zoo as it is being supported both by public sector agencies like State Bank of India and government enterprise like Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA).
AIADA has adopted the ostrich by providing annual donation while State Bank of India apart from extending financial support for construction of a surgical room, has adopted the ostrich. Within the stipulated eighteen months from the date of grant provided by Central Zoo Authority, the project will have to be completed. The grant got sanctioned last month, sources said.