One Of Two Himalayan Bears Goes Missing En Route From Nagaland To Raipur, WildLife Lover Blames Forest Dept

Wildlife lover Nitin Singhvi says forest department should disclose the incident and demands report on recent animal deaths at Nandanvan Jungle Safari in Raipur.

Raipur: One of the two Himalayan Bears went missing while being transported from Nagaland Zoo in Dimpur to Nandanvan Jungle Safari in Raipur. Wildlife lover Nitin Singhvi has alleged that the forest department's negligence led to the incident.

Singhvi said that the bears were brought under an wildlife exchange programme. A team of two doctors went from Nandanvan Jungle Safari with five Spotted Deer and and two Blackbucks to Nagaland Zoo. On its return, the team left Nagaland Zoo with two Himalayan Bears. However, when the team reached Nandanvan Jungle Safari three days back, it had only one Himalayan Bear, which has been put under quarantine.

Singhvi has asked the forest department about the whereabouts of the lone Himalayan Bear. "Did it escape by fooling the doctors or was it stolen ? Did something untoward happen?" Singhvi asked.

Wildlife lover Nitin Singhvi (ETV Bharat)

He has demanded that the forest department should disclose the entire incident. "The department should disclose who were the doctors of the team and where the bear had suddenly disappeared. If the bear had died then when and where did the incident occur? Also, was the post-mortem done? If yes, then why was the autopsy done in such confidential manner? Who was the representative of the civil society during the post-mortem?" Singhvi has raised a volley of questions.

Expressing concern over wild animal deaths, Singhvi has also asked the forest department as to how many porcupines have died at the Nandanvan Jungle Safari in the recent past and urged the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) to release the data of wildlife deaths during his tenure.

Singhvi alleged that the forest department is not learning any lesson from the animal deaths. He alleged that doctors' short-sightedness and ignorance, recently led to the death of a female bison. This bison was caught from the Barnawapara Sanctuary and sent to the Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve, where it died on arrival.

Singhvi has also demanded a ban on exchange programmes of wild animals and suspension of the doctors included in the team.

Neither state forest minister Kedar Kashyap nor Nandanvan Jungle Safari director Ganveer Dhammasheel responded to the calls and messages of ETV Bharat.