Assam BJP leader wants beef ban for zoo animals; protest at Guwahati zoo gets response

In a new demand, Assam BJP leader Satya Ranjan Borah led a demonstration outside the State Zoo in Guwahati demanding that the practise of feeding beef to animals in captivity be stopped. The BJP leader, along with 30 others, also prevented a van carrying beef from entering the zoo premises.

Borah, a former vice president of the state BJP Kisan Morcha, said if the zoo authorities and the Assam government do not stop the supply of beef to the animals, they should be ready to "face the consequences". The zoo authorities asked the protesters to forward their demands to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), which decides on the food that needs to be given to animals.

Animals are fed as per their needs and food habits which are determined after conducting studies. If the CZA modifies the animals' diet as per the demands of the agitators, the zoo authorities are ready to comply, a senior official of the Assam State Zoo said.

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Beef and other kinds of meat are usually fed to tigers and lions. It is essential for wild animals to maintain their food habits as per their nutrition needs, state Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidiya said. "Every animal has a different food habit. We have to look after that. If we disturb it, they will get irritated which will be problematic for the zoo authorities," he said.

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Borah, who often makes inflammatory remarks, was in the news recently when he and his supporters were stopped by the people from entering a village to hold a meeting, leading to a clash between the two sides, following which police resorted to lathi-charge and opened fire.

(with PTI inputs)

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