Wait for tigers’ arrival at Warangal’s Kakatiya zoo continues

Warangal: Much to the disappointment of the animal lovers, particularly the children, wait for the arrival of the tigers at the Kakatiya Zoological Park has been continuing for several years now. And it seems that the arrival would be delayed further with no sign of reconstruction or relocation of the enclosure meant for tigers that […]

Warangal: Much to the disappointment of the animal lovers, particularly the children, wait for the arrival of the tigers at the Kakatiya Zoological Park has been continuing for several years now. And it seems that the arrival would be delayed further with no sign of reconstruction or relocation of the enclosure meant for tigers that were left in the midway at the zoo. The forest officials claimed that the zoo located on Hunter Road in Hanamkonda would soon attract more visitors as it would get a prized possession, a tiger (Panthera tigris) in 2017 itself, and also ‘began arrangements’ for the arrival of the most feared predators.

As a part of it, they also launched works for the construction of the tigers’ enclosure beside the leopard’s enclosure. They wanted to dig a moat, construct a night shelter with some open space all enclosed by a metal fence to put a pair of tigers. In 2018, the then Warangal Urban District Forest Officer (DFO) Arpana Syal said that the works of the enclosure were going at a fast pace and were anticipated to be completed with a month or two. But much to the dismay of the animal lovers, the proposal to get the tigers seems to have been put on the backburner.

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“We don’t know why the works were halted midway. It is better for the people of Warangal not to pin hopes on the arrival of the tigers at this ‘small zoo’,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

The proposal to get a pair of tigers was submitted to the chief wildlife warden (CWW), Telangana, and also to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) which allots the tigers. Meanwhile, another proposal seeking a pair of lions was also submitted to the concerned officials. But the wait for the arrival of the tigers is on due to the lackadaisical attitude of the forest authorities. It may be added here that a pair of leopards (a male named Deva and a female Sravanthi) were brought to the zoo in March 2017. The leopards are a big hit among the visitors, and almost all the visitors wish to have a glimpse of the leopards during their visit to the zoo, according to the zoo staff. However, Forest Range Officer (FRO) of the Striking Force wing and in-charge officer of the Kakatiya Zoo Srujana Kumari did not want to respond to this correspondent’s questions saying that she had taken the charge of the zoo only 10 days ago.

Finding fault with the negligent approach of the forest officials, the Society for Public Welfare and Initiative (SPWI) founder president Dr Suresh Devath had urged the local people’s representatives to make efforts to get the tigers as the introduction of tigers in the zoo would definitely attract more visitors.

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