Cultural activists protest plan to relocate Thiruvananthapuram zoo
Cultural activists in Thiruvananthapuram protest the proposed relocation of the city zoo, alleging a corporate agenda and warning of ecological and livelihood losses.
A group of cultural activists staged a protest in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday against a proposal to relocate the city zoo from its present location to Neyyar or another forest area.
The collective included S.P. Deepak, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Parliamentary Party leader in the Corporation, who alleged that the move was aimed at handing over the zoo's prime location to corporate interests.
Mr. Deepak said the zoo and museum complex had a long tradition, attracting lakhs of visitors each year, and was among the best zoos in the country. Relocating it, he argued, would destroy the facility. He alleged that the proposal was part of a series of "India for sale" transactions in the State capital, in which prime property is handed over to large corporates for profit. He said new excuses were being offered to justify the relocation and called for strong opposition to it.
Actor Sudhir Karamana described the move as strange, noting that the Central Zoo Authority is not known to have made any such decision, nor has it been taken under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. He questioned the rationale behind the decision.
Quizmaster and orator G.S. Pradeep said that if animal welfare were the intention, shifting the animals to a forest area would harm the ecosystem in which wild animals and birds survive. He pointed out that there had been no clear answer on what would occupy the vacated space and expressed concern about it being handed over to corporates. He also noted that many small traders depended on the business generated by tourists and students visiting the zoo.
Poet Murugan Kattakada raised concerns about the fate of the old stately trees on the zoo campus if the facility were shifted. He said the zoo ecosystem included not just animals but also hundreds of birds, including migratory species, and stressed that such public spaces should be preserved rather than converted into private ones.
Mr. Deepak said this was the first protest against the relocation proposal. If further steps were taken, people from political and cultural fields as well as city residents would be roped in for stronger protests, he added.