Published On : Mon, Sep 2nd, 2024
By Nagpur Today Nagpur News

Are Government-Run Wildlife Centers Losing Ground? 15 Tigers to Be Shifted to Private Jamnagar Facility

Tigers to Be Shifted to Jamnagar Rescue Centre: A Step Towards Privatization?

Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur

Nagpur: In an unprecedented move, the Maharashtra Forest Department is set to transfer 15 captive tigers from the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) in Jamnagar within the next few days. This decision has raised several questions about the motivations behind the transfer and the capacity of government-run facilities.

Gorewada Rescue Centre currently houses 29 tigers and 30 leopards, with its capacity for holding captive carnivores already stretched to the limit. According to Zoo Director Shatnik Bhagwat, speaking to a local english daily ,the transfer is a decongestion measure as Gorewada is at full capacity. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) approved the transfer in August, with a specialized team from Jamnagar expected to arrive soon for the operation.

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However, the move has sparked controversy. Critics question why the tigers are being transferred to a privately-managed facility rather than being retained within government-run establishments, particularly those under the forest department’s jurisdiction. Is this an indication that government facilities are no longer capable of managing such responsibilities, or is it a step towards the privatization of wildlife conservation?

The transfer has also drawn protests from the Ambedkari Republican Morcha, which argues that Gorewada Rescue Centre, a significant tourist attraction in Nagpur, should retain these tigers.

The GZRRC, although a non-profit organization focused on animal welfare, is part of a larger project backed by Anant Ambani, the younger son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani. This connection has fueled further speculation about the privatization of wildlife conservation in India.

As the transfer date approaches, the question remains: Is this decision in the best interest of the tigers, or does it signal a shift in how India’s wildlife is managed, potentially leaning towards privatization?

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