Feline crisis disrupts Sunday safari

A huge Sunday crowd that visited Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) was disappointed as the authorities, without prior intimation, closed down the safari at 3 pm instead of the usual 5 pm.

Park officials said the safari was shut down earlier than scheduled as they did not want the bacterial infection to spread while the animals were being shifted from their enclosures to the isolation wards.

The crowd was also disappointed as the number of tigers and lions displayed in the safari were only five, compared to the usual 16.

“I was disappointed when the safari was closed down at 3 pm. But later I felt that the health of the tigers is more important than my entertainment,” said D Sathya Narayana, an HAL employee.
The BBP safari houses 47 tigers and nine lions. But 16 are displayed in shifts, based on the comfort of the animals.

MN Jayakumar, member-secretary, Zoo Authority of Karnataka, said the safari was shut down two hours before the schedule as a precautionary measure.

“The infected tigers were being given treatment and shifted to the rehabilitation centre from the safari. So, the safari was closed at 3 pm,” said Millo Tago, executive director, BBP. The safari will be open between 10 am and 5 pm on Monday.

Experts, however, suggested that the safari be completely closed till the situation became normal.

Dr Sheila Rao, veterinarian and trustee with Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, said that since salmonella bacteria and e-coli could also affect humans, the safari area should be closed down till the situation became normal. “There is no need to close down the zoo area as it is at some distance from the safari area. Since the caretakers can also carry the bacteria, they should also be kept away from the zoo area. But as a safety measure it would be good to shut down the safari area for a while,” said Rao.

Environmentalist and retired forest official SG Neginhal said that the tigers were under a lot of stress which was affecting their health.

He added that a study should be conducted to assess the number of visitors the BBP can handle. “In the future, those allowed to visit the park should be at least 10% less than the capacity in order to reduce the stress levels of the carnivores,” Neginhal said.