SC asks Centre to look into plea for uninterrupted food supply, medical check up in zoos

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to "look into suggestions" by an activist, Sangeeta Dogra for uninterrupted food supply and medications to animals lodged in zoos across the country, amid threat of coronavirus.

A bench of Justices N V Ramana Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B R Gavai disposed of her PIL, saying, "we direct the Government of India to treat this writ petition as a representation."

In her plea, she sought a direction to ensure regular supply to zoos as essential service. She also wanted medical check up of the animals.

In a status report, the Central Zoo Authority has informed the court that it has issued instructions to monitor regularly and initiate fortnightly COVID-19 testing of the suspects among mammals and carnivores especially cat, ferret and primates.

Zoos in India have been asked to remain on high alert in view of a Tiger having been found COVID-19 positive in New York. The USA Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories, in a statement on April 5, 2020, has confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in a Tiger housed in the Bronx Zoo, New York, it pointed out.

The Central Zoo Authority comes under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The response has come on the PIL by Dogra seeking urgent steps to take care of the animals housed in zoos across the country, on emergence of COVID-19 pandemic.

In the report about measures being undertaken, it said samples of suspect cases would be sent to the designated animal health institutes while following all biocontainment and safety measures required to handle this high risk pathogen as per the ICMR guidelines.

The designated centre are National Institute of High Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD), Bhopal, MP,National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, Haryana, and Centre for Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic (CADRAD), Indian Veterinary Research Institute, (IVRI), Izatnagar, Bareilly, UP.

Giving further measures, it said, "Zoos in the country have been asked to remain on highest alertness, watch animals on 24X7 basis, using CCTV for any abnormal behavior or symptoms, keepers or handlers not to be allowed in the vicinity without safety gear preferably PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), isolate and quarantine sick animals, and have least contact while providing feed."

It has asked all zoo personnel to strictly adhere to safety and disinfection protocol issued by the government, time to time, on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Zoos were further advised to coordinate with designated nodal agencies of the government responsible for public health response and permit screening, testing and surveillance, the authority said.