The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) conducted the review 14 years after handing over management of the zoo to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).
As per an agreement signed then, the government was to conduct such evaluations every six months.
"The Ministry finally called us for the review Thursday and said it was satisfactory," Juddha Bahadur Gurung, member-secretary of the NTNC board of trustees, said, adding, "The evaluators inquired about the health conditions, funding and other activities undertaken by NTNC for animal welfare at the zoo."
- Govt inspection after 14 years
- No master plan, no sustainable development fund
- No management for rehabilitation of orphans
- Lack of transport, tranquilizer guns
- Congested cages, dirty ponds
However, the officials who conducted the actual monitoring said they were far from satisfied with the management. Stating that "there is a lot of room" for improvement, they said "much needs to be done."
The master plan for the zoo, as per the original agreement, was to be developed by NTNC and implemented with the approval of the government. However, it has not yet been developed. "Although the general condition of some 200 animals seems satisfactory, no master plan has been implemented," Dr Krishna Chandra Poudel, joint-secretary at MoFSC and head of the environment division told myrepublica.com.
Also, the much-needed Sustainable Development Fund for strengthening a rehabilitation program and adding resources to the zoo is also yet to be established. "NTNC has said that since the zoo is just breaking even, the Fund has not been established."
Absence of such a fund has hit the zoo´s orphan animal rehabilitation program hard. Due to the severe resource crunch and lack of space, no special area has been designated for orphans brought to the zoo. "There is no management of the orphans brought to the zoo now in large numbers, such as leopards," Poudel added.
He further said that a fund with an initial amount of at least Rs 2.5 million needs to be set up urgently. "The zoo needs transport facilities, more tranquillizer guns, animal cages and other things,” he said.
The team also found that the zoo is now desperately in need of renovation and extension as it is getting dirtier and more congested by the day. "The standard of cleanliness and renovation is not adequate. Much needs to be done to bring it up to the mark," Poudel added.
NTNC plans to add a tiger, a bear and a crocodile to the zoo. However, it is short of spacious cages and ponds. "There is a need for extra space to add these animals," Poudel said, adding, "We need to develop a mechanism to strengthen the animal welfare activities and also strengthen understanding between the ministry and NTNC."
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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