Animal rights activists have cautioned the state government against repeating the “mistakes” and inadequacies of Alipore zoo in the new zoo at Bhagwanpur. According to the government, it is in step with the requirements of a modern zoo.

“We have decided to procure data from three seasons — pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon — to understand the character of the area better. We have also decided to float global tenders to involve experts in preparing a detailed project report for the Bhagwanpur zoo,” chief conservator of forests Atanu Raha told Metro on Saturday.

The two proposals are in sync with the basic recommendations of animal rights NGOs like People for Animals (PFA), which has suggested GIS (global information system) mapping of the area, dividing it into different existing ecological sub-zones.

“It will throw up details on waterbody, marshland, low land, high land, position of the trees and other vegetation,” said Debasis Chakrabarti, managing trustee, PFA.

The NGO had filed a PIL in the high court nine years back , demanding better conditions for the zoo animals.

The PIL came in the wake of a demonstration by another NGO, Compassionate Crusaders’ Trust (CCT), in front of Alipore zoo on Republic Day the year before. CCT had, in 1995, brought the plight of the “inmates” of the overcrowded zoo to the notice of animal-lovers and sent 1,000-plus petitions to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and seeking its intervention.

As a direct consequence of the PIL, the elephants were unshackled — the first zoo in India to do this — in March 1999. After hearings spanning four years, the division bench of then Chief Justice A.K. Mathur and Justice J. Biswas sought concrete measures to address the plight of the zoo animals and the hunt for a bigger space had begun.

The government decided to shift the larger animals from Alipore zoo to Bhagwanpur, off the EM Bypass, in the next two years after severe criticism from the CZA, which even threatened to de-recognise the zoo. Earlier this year, noted primatologist Jane Goodall had spoken out against the herding of animals in “prison-like enclosures” in Alipore zoo.

“It’s a huge victory for wildlife-lovers. We hope the government will gradually move towards the concept of a ‘reverse zoo’, where animals are free-roaming and visitors are in protective casing or are separated by a moat,” said CCT founder trustee Purnima Toolsidass.

Among the other prescriptions of the NGOs is involvement of a team from a “better-managed” zoo in southeast Asia with similar climate and other experts, from the planning stage. The animal rights groups have also suggested exclusion of animals from desert/arid areas (like camels and kangaroos) and animals from high altitude (like the snow leopard) or very cold regions (like the polar bear).

This is critical, concurs Bipul Chakrabarty, former scientific officer, CZA. “Worldwide, the norm now is to borrow the natural landscape of the area and orient the exhibit-mix accordingly. In Bhagwanpur, the state should concentrate on wetland species, like fishing cats, otters, crocodiles and hippos and not go in for African animals, like the giraffe and zebra.”