Wasn’t told about Bondla zoo closure, says Rane

Panaji: In a scathing rebuke of his own department, forest minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday expressed outrage over the sudden closure of the only zoo in Goa at the Bondla wildlife sanctuary.
He reprimanded forest department officials for failing to communicate critical information about the death of five zoo animals. “I have demanded an explanation from the forest department, as I was not informed by the officer concerned about the zoo’s closure,” said the forest minister, who called the lack of transparency “completely unacceptable”.
TOI reported on Tuesday that the zoo is temporarily closed to the public since April 1, after three civet cats and two jungle cats succumbed to a viral infection.
The incident prompted the forest department to send the animals’ samples to a laboratory in Bhopal to determine the exact cause of the ailment. Sources said that the death of the cats took place between March 6 and 9 while the order to quarantine the zoo came only by March 30.
Rane on Tuesday also made it clear that if any official failed to report to him, they would face strict action, with a recommendation for disciplinary measures being sent directly to the chief minister. “I have called for a meeting, and a report will be submitted to the CM about what is happening and what happened in the zoo, including details of the disease. We have instructed the department to remain vigilant,” he said.
Rane warned that such lapses in communication would not be tolerated further. “The forest officials are not here on a holiday,” he said. A review meeting has been scheduled to hold the department accountable and ensure this failure does not happen again.
“The department must stay vigilant. I am the forest minister; if I am not being informed and the zoo is automatically shut down without anyone’s knowledge, it is completely unacceptable. It is my department, and my responsibility. I will hold a review meeting on this,” he said.