Keralam CM bats again for zoo relocation

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said on Wednesday that animals housed in the Thiruvananthapuram zoo should be moved to a habitat better suited to them, reaffirming a proposal that has triggered public protest in the city.

Addressing mediapersons after a Cabinet meeting, Mr. Satheesan said he had proposed relocating the Thiruvananthapuram zoo at the ‘Reimagining Keralam’ roundtable conference because keeping animals in the heart of the city amounted to cruelty to them.

He said the space vacated by such a relocation would be transformed into one that the city would be proud of.

The Chief Minister also said the space was not for sale to anyone.

Protest at the zoo

Opposition to the relocation plan continued on Wednesday evening, with the Kerala NGO Union staging an event at the zoo.

The protest was inaugurated by actor and Left fellow traveller P. Sreekumar.

Mr. Sreekumar recalled his association with the zoo and museum complex from his childhood days to his morning walks and shoots, and described it as the green lung of the city.

He said the 55-acre plot included invaluable flora and fauna.

The actor also described the complex as a cultural hub and a meeting place for many, including the old and the infirm.

“The relocation plan soon after the UDF came to power is a bid to make away with the resources here,” he said.

Mr. Sreekumar argued that not even 10% of those who visited the zoo now would turn up if it were shifted elsewhere.

He urged city residents to pledge to protect the zoo in the heart of the city.

Heritage and access at the centre of dispute

Former Mayor V.K. Prasanth said the 167-year-old zoo was an integral part of the city’s culture and heritage.

Recalling its evolution from the time it was set up in 1859 to the current times, he said there was no harm in creating a space such as Madison Square, a commercial complex, or a mall, but only in a space that had land for these.

Mr. Prasanth said what the Chief Minister had described as a ‘dream’ was termed a decision by the Health Minister only a couple of days later.

He said as many as 14 lakh people visited the zoo every year, primarily because it was easily accessible to people coming to the city for various needs.

“The complex is a rare space in the world that has not only a zoo but also museums and art galleries. No one will be allowed to disrupt this space,” Mr. Prasanth said.

“No one is opposing construction of a zoo elsewhere in the district or the development that will ensue. What we seek is that the zoo be left untouched here,” Mr. Prasanth said.

Zoo employees also participated in the protest.

The competing positions have placed animal welfare, as framed by the Chief Minister, against claims about public access, heritage and the cultural role of the zoo and museum complex raised by protesters.

For Mr. Satheesan, the central point is that animals should not be kept in the heart of the city if a more suitable habitat can be provided.

For the protesters, the same space is significant because of its greenery, its flora and fauna, its long history, and its role as a meeting place for residents and visitors.

The Chief Minister’s assurance that the vacated space would not be sold has not ended the protests, with speakers at the zoo event continuing to call for the existing complex to be protected.

Source: The Hindu