| A few days back at the Byculla zoo, Mumbai a 55 | | | | of jumping and playing are severely restricted. Having |
| year old elephant Laxmi caught hold of an intruder in its | | | | no trees to play around robs a monkey of its instincts. |
| enclosure by her trunk and smashed him against the | | | | Snakes kept in glass cages are also prone to suffer |
| wall. The man died but it is a moot point what was the | | | | injury by repeatedly banging their heads against the |
| man doing in the enclosure of the elephant. | | | | glass walls. All in all keeping animals in cages for the |
| I along with friend of mine ventured to the zoo at | | | | amusement of the children and other visitors cannot |
| Mumbai the scene of the accident and had a look at | | | | have a healthy effect on the mind. |
| the elephant. I found she had been chained and was | | | | There is thus a need for some drastic action. Zoos like |
| nodding her head from side to side. I wondered if it | | | | the Byculla zoo and similar zoos all over the world |
| was a punishment for killing the man who had needled | | | | need to be immediately shut down. In India there is no |
| her. I was told by my friend who is a vet that 40% of | | | | dearth of wild life parks and sanctuaries. It will be in the |
| captive elephants exhibit this behavior due to boredom | | | | interest of conservation of wild life, in case these |
| and stress. Denied its natural habitat of mud and water | | | | animals are transferred to such sanctuaries. Keeping a |
| the elephant is prone to such actions. Another point | | | | lion or tiger or a rhino in a sanctuary or wild life park is |
| that emerged in my mind is the effect on children | | | | a better option than a cage in a zoo. |
| when they see animals kept in such cruel conditions. It | | | | In case required zoos imitating natural habitats can be |
| cannot be healthy. | | | | set up outside the city, but zoos like the one at Byculla |
| Apart from the elephant the big cats like the tigers, | | | | need to be closed forthwith. An excellent example of |
| lions and panthers also suffer from being caged. The | | | | a zoo is the one at Delhi which to an extant has |
| lack of natural water, forest and space can severely | | | | duplicated the natural environment and the animals are |
| inhibit these big cats. These animals are also stressed | | | | better off. The London zoo is also a good example. |
| and as they are unable to speak they must perforce | | | | To effect changes the government and the WWF as |
| suffer this confinement.It is not only the big cats but the | | | | well as the wild life trust of India have to get their act |
| monkeys, bear, barking deer and snakes are not any | | | | going. Our wildlife is too precious and needs to be |
| better off. | | | | nurtured. Animals like the elephant are a part of Hindu |
| A look at the monkey's enclosure will probably make | | | | culture. We cannot afford to see them end up in a |
| you realize that they just sit there with a glazed look. | | | | museum of natural History. |
| The trees inside are sawed off and the natural area | | | | |