Rising onion prices hit Mumbai zoo

Soaring prices of vegetables and onion are affecting the diet of the animals at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and zoo at Byculla. The zoo authority is feeding only one kg of onion to all of the mammals and 450 birds, as a digestive stimulator. 

The authority has prepared a diet list for each animal with the help of animal nutrition experts from the veterinary college in Parel. 
This year, the suppliers have not got fresh and enough vegetables due to the rising prices. Also, there is lack of variety of vegetables in the market as untimely showers ruined the onion crop in September and October 2010. 

The civic body passed a proposal of setting aside about Rs11 lakh every year for feeding the zoo animals. The contractors supply vegetables for the herbivorous animals and meat for the carnivorous. It is mandatory for the contractor to supply vegetables given in the list and approved by the BMC. The zoo usually gets 400 kg of onion per year from the contractor. The contractor distributes it per month as per his quota.

“This year, the supplier too could not provide enough and a variety of vegetables, as specified in the contract. There is regular supply but it lacks variety,” said sources from the zoo. 

“Onion is used as a digestive stimulator for herbivores and birds. We chop the onion into pieces and mix it with the ground grain and feed them,” said Dr Komal Powar, from the zoo.

“The one kg gets divided equally between the birds and animals.”