At zoo, animals in safe hands

Oppili.P@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

All steps are being taken to ensure staff at the Vandalur zoo stick to the safety protocol during the ongoing lockdown and beyond. Animal feed is carefully checked and vets carefully observe the animals and birds for any unusual behaviour.

Precautions for the staff members are according to the protocol prescribed. When K Chelliah, an animal keeper, walks on to the premises at the start of his work period, he is welcomed by a colleague holding a mask and sanitizer. After cleaning his hands and putting on the mask Chelliah walks to the white tiger enclosure and gets down to work.

All the 129 other permanent employees, who are involved in cleaning, animal keeping and night duty, are similarly protected, said S Yuvaraj, Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu.

On Friday last, Yuvaraj made an inspection and stressed the need for maintaining social distance among zoo keepers. He advised them to dispose of used gloves or tissue papers in bins exclusively placed for the purpose and not to dump them with other waste material.

The 200kg of beef procured daily for carnivores such as lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and jackals from the Greater Chennai Corporation designated slaughter house in Perambur is checked by veterinarians before the animals are fed, he said.

Animal keepers are advised to alert veterinarians in case they notice any unusual behaviour in their charges. All animal enclosures are sprayed with disinfectants periodically and the premises cleaned thoroughly twice a day.

The zoo, spread over nearly 1,500 acres, is a top tourist attraction in the state.

All animal enclosures are sprayed with disinfectants periodically and the premises cleaned thoroughly twice a day