Nagpur: Morning walkers of Maharajbagh Zoo staged demonstration at the main gate of the zoo on Monday morning to press their demand for allowing them to undertake morning walk and exercise in zoo premises.
The agitators staged the demonstration under the banners of Maharajbag Sangharsha Samiti, Maharajbag Prabhat Mitra Mandal and Shri Aarogya Aasan Mandal.
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Saturday 01 Feb. 2025
The management of Maharajbagh Zoo banned the morning walk inside the Zoo premises from April 9, following directives by Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and provisions in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Later, it made alternate arrangements for morning walkers away from wildlife enclosures and appealed to people to use this path for the purpose till 8.30 am. The zoo management had also sought co-operation from Sitabuldi Police Station to maintain law and order in view of Monday’s agitation.
The ban on morning walks inside the zoo premises took place following a group clash some time ago. One of the groups had lodged a complaint at Sitabuldi Police Station. Taking a serious note of the incident, Maharajbagh Zoo administration released the order to ban entry of morning walkers. “No zoo all over the country allows morning walkers inside its premises. But, in Nagpur it was allowed following protests by morning walkers. But this time we strictly implemented the ban,” said Dr Sunil Bawaskar, In-charge Officer, Maharajbag Zoo.
Dr Bawaskar said, “The morning walkers often feed biscuits, chapatis and other unnatural food to the caged animals, which is not allowed from the health point of view. Also, it is a violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.” In 2017, Dr Bawaskar had lodged a complaint at Sitabuldi Police Station against morning walkers for using the zoo premises and feeding eatables to animals, which affected upkeep and health of the animals. The Central Zoo Authority, that monitors functioning of zoos across the country, had also issued an ultimatum to Maharajbagh Zoo in this regard.
The Central Zoo Authority had directed the zoo authorities to restrict morning walkers to garden premises only and ban entry to the zoo. But, they failed to restrict them due to a lot of protest against the stand and the authorised re-opening of the gates during morning hours. However, this time, the zoo authority has imposed a total ban citing violation of law and order
