Coronavirus: Plea in SC for uninterrupted food supply in zoos amid lockdown

The Supreme Court Tuesday said it would hear on April 13 a PIL seeking uninterrupted food supply and medical treatment for wildlife in zoos across the country amid coronavirus pandemic.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao asked the petitioner in-person Sangeeta Dogra, to amend her petition including prayer for medical check-up and treatment of animals in zoo.

Dogra said Delhi Zoo, under Essential Services Act, has ensured its food supply for the animals during the nationwide lockdown but information is not available for other zoos across the country.

She said that Zoos are dependent for foods from outside as there are no slaughter houses inside the premises and during the ongoing lockdown, the supply is affected as most of the slaughter houses are closed.

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She referred to recent incident of New York, where a four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia in Bronx Zoo had contracted the Covid-19 virus from a caretaker, who was asymptomatic at the time. 

The petitioner said Hyderabad Zoo had also sent samples of animals for testing of Covid-19 on March 5 and therefore in-house doctors are needed for treatment of the animals.

To this, the bench said that as per its information animals don't die of Corona virus.

The petitioner contended however that they can get the virus from humans and can transmit it. 

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