Environment Minister Yadav refutes claim of Delhi Zoo ‘privatisation’

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday rebutted privatisation concerns raised by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding the National Zoological Park (NZP), Delhi, and its agreement with Greens Zoological, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC).

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In a response to Ramesh on X, Yadav said the NZP, which is run by the Centre, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GZRRC, based in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, in January 2021, and NZP has sought to revise the existing MoU.

GZRRC is managed by Reliance.

“Some people have made it a habit to create doubts in the mind of the public at every instance. Zoological parks enter into collaborative MoUs with other zoos, universities and scientific institutions for enhancement of conservation efforts, scientific research, education and capacity building, resource sharing and animal welfare. The Central Zoo Authority also enters into collaborations,” Yadav said.

Yadav said the GZRRC has developed state of the art facilities and services in animal health and welfare, world class zoo designing, rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals and habitat enrichment.

“The NZP signed a MoU with GZRRC in January 2021. This MoU is focused on exchange of animals, capacity building of animal keepers, technical exchanges on scientific management of animals and sharing knowledge on conservation breeding and education,” the environment minister said.

Yadav said the NZP being a 60-year-old institution, has gained substantial expertise in breeding and care of many endangered species and is now aiming to modernise its facilities and services by adopting best practices of animal welfare in captivity as well as enhanced visitor experience on par with a world class zoo.

“Keeping in line with the common objectives of captive wildlife management and for further broadening the collaboration as per current management requirements, NZP sought to revise the existing MoU with GZRRC. The proposed MoU aims to foster collaboration in wildlife conservation, rescue, rehabilitation, animal health, and welfare,” he said.

The key areas of cooperation include support for veterinary care and allied services, exchange of best practices in captive management of endangered species, and technical assistance in zoo planning, enclosure design, enrichment, visitor engagement, and staff training. It also includes knowledge-sharing initiatives, staff exchange, capacity building, conservation education, and potential animal exchanges.

Ramesh had alleged, "The Delhi Zoo is under the direct control of the Environment Ministry. It is planning to sign an agreement with Vantara and the Gujarat Government for better management practices."

He questioned whether this was the "first step towards handing over the zoo to a private enterprise" and warned that such a move would set a dangerous precedent.

Yadav said the NZP in the past has signed MoU with different organisations working in wildlife management, research in the past and keeps pursuing similar collaborations with other reputed institutions as part of its modernisation drive focused on animal welfare and enhanced visitor experience.