As 8 lions test +ve in Hyderabad, Chhatbir zoo closed till May 31

Mohali: After eight lions in Hyderabad tested positive for Covid-19, the Punjab government issued orders to close all the zoos of the state, including the one in Chhatbir, till May 31.
Last year too, Chhatbir zoo was closed after lions in a US zoo tested positive. Chhatbir zoo field director Naresh Mahajan said, “As of now all the animals are safe and show no symptoms of coronavirus. All the animals are under observation and will be tested. The employees, whose samples have been taken, will be allowed to enter the enclosures only if their negative report is received.”
Mahajan said the zoo management has installed CCTV cameras to monitor the animals. Earlier, the management was monitoring only newborn animals, but now every enclosure has been fitted with cameras, he added.
The pandemic has not only affected the revenue generation at the zoo, but pushed it back by two years in becoming self-sustainable. 2020 was being cited as the year in which it was to become self-sustainable and the situation is not any different in 2021. The field director said the zoo had shown a revenue collection of Rs 6.5 crore in 2019-20 fiscal, and was heading smoothly towards becoming self-reliant, but Covid-19 has made it slip back by two years.
He said, “Now we will have to start afresh as the lockdown period has already eaten up a major chunk of revenue. We have many continuous expenses, like feeding the animals and paying wages to caretakers. The animals consume meat, fodder, grains, fruits and vegetables of Rs 30 lakh a month. Though the Punjab government is giving the grant, collection made from visitors has become zero during lockdown.”