Taking strong exception to the unregulated activities of morning walkers at Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has asked Patna zoo to ban the entry of joggers around animal enclosures.

The suggestion was made during the visit of a high-level technical team of CZA to Patna zoo. The team arrived in the state capital on Saturday and left for Delhi on Sunday afternoon. It comprised B.S. Bonal, member-secretary of CZA, and S.K. Patnaik, zonal head (east) of CZA, among others.

The team asked the zoo authorities to contain the morning strolls to the botanical areas and install certain amenities, including jogging tracks, exercise equipment and lavatories among others, for the convenience of the walkers.

Abhay Kumar, director, Patna zoo, said: “The member-secretary of CZA strongly opposed the morning walkers venturing into the animal areas. The technical committee of CZA suggested that the morning walkers be restricted to the botanical area by developing certain amenities there.”

Among other suggestions (see chart), the team also asked the zoo authorities to allow the entry of visitors from only one gate, according to the norms of CZA.

The CZA officers had come for a site visit prior to charting out the master plan for the development of the Patna zoo in the next 10 years (2012- 2022).

The proposed master plan for an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore includes construction of a rhino range, creation of naturalistic animal enclosures, enhancement of the existing ones, interpretation centre, re-development of zoo infrastructure and additions to public amenities.

The CZA is planning a theme-based development of the zoo. “The animal area would be segregated into carnivores, herbivores, aviary, exotic species and canine,” Abhay said.