Keeping in mind the report of the expert committee probing the death of white tigers in the prestigious Nandankan Zoo in Orissa, the Supreme Court on Monday termed the situation as distressing and said the condition in zoos were far from satisfactory. “The situation is distressing and the steps taken for the welfare of animals in the zoos are far from satisfactory,” A bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand.
These observations were made during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an animal activist, Navin M Raheja, bringing to the court's notice the largescale poaching in reserve forest depleting tiger population in wild.
The bench asked Solicitor General Harish Salve to consider the suggestions made by Raheja and submitt within two weeks details of steps to be taken by the centre and state governments for the protection of tigers in captivity as well as in reserve forests.
Salve drew the court's attention to the report of the expert committee constituted to go into the deaths of white tigers in the Nandankanan Zoo and pointed out the shocking way in which the sick tigers were handled by the zoo authorities.
The bench said, “A cursory look of the report shows that much needs to be done for the welfare of the tigers in capitivity (zoos) and reserve forests and directed listing of the case after two weeks.”
Bureau Report