Patna, April 23: What the zoo director proposes, the chief wildlife warden disposes.

Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park director S. Chandrashekhar told The Telegraph on Wednesday that evening walks will not be allowed at the zoo from Saturday. However, Bihar chief wildlife warden S.S. Choudhary, a frequent jogger at the zoo, has asked the director not to stop evening walks for now.

Chandrashekhar had earlier said evening walks will be stopped as there was no written directive from the state government to continue with it. This is not the case with morning walks. Choudhary told the director to desist from any action until the state government issued a final directive.

"I have asked the zoo director to allow joggers in the evening and wait for the government directive before arriving at a final decision," Choudhary told The Telegraph.

On being asked why evening walks should be continued without the state government's permission, Choudhary said: "It was a wrong decision right at the beginning to allow evening walks without any directives. My only contention is that there should not be any discrimination between morning and evening walks."?

Chandrashekhar refused comment on the issue.

Central Zoo Authority member-secretary D.N. Singh, following a visit to Patna zoo last Monday and Tuesday, gave an ultimatum to the state government to stop jogging inside the zoo with immediate effect, failing which it will stand the risk of losing its recognition. Withdrawal of the zoo's recognition will result in shutting down the zoo for visitors.

Singh claimed that the matter was under consideration since 2006 and the presence of a large number of joggers in the early morning and evening hours at the zoo was adversely impacting the daily routine, breeding and general health of the animals.

Gauri Maulekhi, member-secretary at the People For Animals (PFA) and advisor to Maneka Gandhi (Union cabinet minister for women and child development) said they will request the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to derecognise the zoo if the state government failed to adhere to their directive.

"If the state government continues to keep mum on the issue, we will ask CZA to derecognise Patna zoo and shift the animals to other zoos," she said. "Animals get affected with people moving continuously at the zoo. It hinders their ability to breed and shortens their life span."

Patna Zoo is the only zoo in the world to permit morning and evening walks. Politicians, advocates, bureaucrats, doctors, engineers, educationists, actors and youngsters go for walks there. The jogging hours start at 5am and the gates remain open till 7pm in the evening. The CZA asked the state environment and forests department to disallow jogging inside the zoo in 2006 citing requests made by several advocates at Patna High Court.