Rising mercury turns Pune zoos into silence zones

Kasturi Dange

Pune, April 30: NO CHATTERING monkeys greet you at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj. You don’t hear panthers growling. Even the birds don’t chirp. You walk amidst absolute stillness inside the silent zoo as the listless inmates either pant or snooze.

With Pune reeling under temperatures as high as 41.4 degrees celsius, it’s the animals who are the most affected. Rajan Shirke, the Snake Park Manager informs that ‘‘the animals have become lethargic and irritable because of the heat. The snakes do not like to be handled while the panthers and other animals refuse to move.’’

The snake park, which houses poisonous as well as non-poisonous snakes, including a King Cobra, Russels Viper and rat snake, makes sure that all the snakes are sprayed with water at least two to three times a day. ‘‘Ideally, snakes prefer a temperature between 20 to 32 degrees Celsius,’’ says Shirke, adding that the snake house has four coolers.

Frequent showers are also being given to the crocodiles, the peacocks, and the leopards. ‘‘A mud pit has been dug for the wild boar which is watered as and when required,’’ says Mahesh Deshpande, the animal keeper.

It is a sorry sight as hyenas droop under the metallic shelter while the deer don’t bother to run around in the enclosure, much to the disappointment of the crowd. The ducks and the swans are busy making the most of the water supplied in the pools.

‘‘Such heat is mainly due to manmade problems. Until a few years back, the temperature never crossed 36 degrees Celsius. Now with decreasing vegetation, it has already reached 41 degrees Celsius in April,’’ laments Shirke.

At Peshwe Park, the cages are being watered for two hours everyday in the afternoon. The tigers have also been provided with water pots.

‘‘The night houses have been also provided with air coolers from mid-afternoon to 6.30 in the evening,’’ informs Dr Kavzeem Umrigar.

There’s good news, though. Dr D.S. Desai of the Indian Meteorological Department predicts a rain spell in next few days. Until then, the animals will continue to suffer the blistering summer.