For those as curious as Shrestha, the zoo is fine and they have resumed their business as usual. Luckily, only one of their cages was destroyed in the incident. When the statue of Juddha Shumsher's mother toppled over near the ghoral's cage, it bought down the dome shaped bars as well. The ruins still remain plied up at the site. The ghoral, however, was not injured and being a relatively docile animal, it didn't even try to escape.
People who were expecting to hear scintillating anecdotes of animals running lose around the compound after the quake might be bit disappointed but Assistant curator, Ganesh Koirala couldn't be more pleased.
"After the first earthquake on April 25, I was answering phone calls till late midnight. There were many queries from the media and authorities alike wondering if there was any trouble at the zoo. Some of our foreign collaborators too had asked if we needed any assistance to handle the damages but in reality we had no such trouble at all. At the moment, we are on our fourth year of a five year plan to upgrade the zoo so almost all of the cages were new and incredibly secure," says Koirala.
Nevertheless, he considers the zoo authorities timely action on the probable risks much before the earthquake as a blessing during the disaster. After all, Nepal's only zoo was built by Late Prime Minister Juddha Sumsher J.B. Rana more than half a century ago in 1932. So considering its ancient status, over the years several articles have been published questioning the security of the zoo during emergency situations.
In fact, Koirala remembers that it had not even been a year since a publication had interviewed them about the measures the zoo had taken to protect the animals, and the city at large, specifically if a big earthquake were to hit. He calls it an eerie coincidence but as he had answered back then, he reiterates that following the new maintenance programs there never really was a security danger to begin with.
So as the capital resumes its hectic and normal routine, over at Jawalakhel the zoo has flung its doors open for anybody who fancies a visit. Actually even though majority of people were too preoccupied to notice, the zoo had officially reopened a week after the second major earthquake on May 12.
The flow of visitors though is nowhere near what it used to be. Along with people interested to see the damages caused by the quake, families trying to entertain their kids, and couples looking forward to canoodling in private, the number of people visiting the zoo these days adds up to 400-500 a day. That's certainly a severe fall from the 2000-3000 people the central zoo's office insists they attracted on a daily basis before the earthquake.
Still for the 74 odd employees working there, life goes on. "Despite the drastic decrease in daily revenue for the zoo, none of our staffs have been made redundant," shares Sarita Gyawali, director at the Central Zoo. "Those who had to look out for their family houses outside Kathmandu have taken a leave, but almost all of them have reported back to duty and are working hard now," she adds.
Ram Mahat* (name changed), who has been looking after the herbivorous animals for the last 10 years and working at the zoo for the last 20 years, mentions that the time he spent away from the animals was frustrating, to say the least.
"I believe every caretaker here has developed a special bond with these animals. We didn't want to take days off and stay at home after the earthquake either. Somebody had to take care of them so here we are. These animals also respond to our company. Since they know us, whenever we come around to give food, they eagerly come towards us. Since most of them have been raised in captivity, we have a responsibility towards them. We know each animal by sight as well. I actually have to report a deer to our vet now. Its face seems to be swollen. We have to look into it," said Mahat before heading off to the animal medical hospital within the zoo premises.
All four veterinarians at the hospital too have returned to their duties. Bal Krishna Giri, one of the heads, explains how they have trained all the caretakers to pay attention to the daily demeanor of the animals under their charge and report if they see any changes. Majority of the caretakers at the central zoo don't have any background in animal science. Their first encounter with wild animals is often at the zoo itself. With training but mostly experience, they work their way up to the post of 'caretakers'.
Giri also tells us that they have examined the animals after the quake and there appears to be no injuries or traumas. So they are back looking after other priorities as well. The zoo has proven to be a sanctuary for rescued wild animals and even at the moment, they are looking after two injured Black kite birds, a jackal, a baby bear cub and a baby langoor.
The zoo sees all this as promising signs. As people have begun recovering from the quakes, they have begun turning in needy animals to the zoo's care as well. "We have always been helping in rehabilitating animals. The ones that aren't dangerous and can survive in the wild, like the jackal for instance, will be set free. The animals, however, that might not survive on their own will be kept behind," explains Koirala.
Maiya Kapali has taken on the responsibility to look after the baby bear cub and the baby langoor. Her job is to feed them their specific diets four times a day and give them company as well as lots of cuddles. According to her, these animals require more care than human babies but she doesn't mind the pressure as she simply loves her job.
So even though the six hectares area of the zoo is unusually empty for the first time since it was opened to the public in 1956, behind the scenes it's still a hub of activity. It has always been the case – the hustle and bustle begins from eight in the morning with the scheduled groups of caregivers feeding the animals. Another batch of workers starts sweeping the compounds and cleaning the cages and then there is the wait for the visitors.
Gyawali is hoping the scenario will eventually change for the better. She, along with her staff, are trying to spread the word that the zoo is safe and, regardless of the rumors, is not going anywhere.
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