The Delhi zoo has been reportedly administering expired medicines to animals besides under-reporting deaths of animals and producing false postmortem reports.
An inquiry by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) revealed that a drug called ketamine, that is highly valued in the market, was one of the medications for which records were neither complete nor credible. Ketamine is usually administered to animals as an anaesthesia and for pain relief.
Zoo officials admitted to having in their possession five 10-ml vials of the drug when they were supposed to have been supplied with only one 50ml vial of the drug. The stocks did not match with details mentioned in the extant documentation.
"This date rape drug has a high value on the black market.This raises questions...The records show one vial of 50ml was to be supplied, but how did the zoo get five vials of 10ml each? The stock register also showed the ketamine stock to be nil, but the zoo still possessed two 10ml vials," a CZA official was quoted by the Times of India as saying.
One of the expired medicines used by the zoo was called Replanta, the CZA found during the inquiry.
"At the time of the inquiry, medicines that had outlived their shelf-life were still being used. The records of medications being maintained were incomplete," said the CZA official.
The Replanta stock, which was procured in 2008 and has a shelf life of three years, had the expiry date recorded as "not mentioned" instead of 2010 (the Replanta was procured a year into its three-year life) thereby permitting it to be administered to animals past the expiry year. The zoo authorities had not even recorded the details of animals on whom the medicine had been administered.
"The medicine may or may not be harmful to the animal, but continuing to use it for so many years after its expiry date is unacceptable."
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, wrote to the Ministry of Environment and Forests on Wednesday requesting them to take immediate action against the director and other officials and staff of the zoo in Delhi.
"Such complete corruption at the zoo can only be possible when the management has no fear of law and no regard for the regulators. May I request you to issue orders to immediately prosecute the director, Delhi zoo, and the veterinary staff so as to set an example for the other non-complying zoos," Gandhi wrote in her letter.
According to TOI, the Delhi zoo authorites had also removed rhino horns from its custody without documenting them properly. Records did not show the quantity of rhino horns that were withdrawn to be sent for testing. The CZA has submitted its report to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for action.
