Animal adoption fee has been increased in zoos across the state and the revised fee will be applicable from January 1.
The decision in this regard was taken at the 149th board meeting of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), which regulates zoos in the state.
Fees have been hiked on the basis of maintenance cost, while animals and birds have been classified into 13 groups according to species to help animal lovers adopt them under the animal adoption scheme, which was earlier implemented in Mysore Zoo. was introduced and later expanded to other zoos. State. The scheme is hugely popular at the Mysuru zoo and came as a savior for the zoo post-pandemic, when the zoo was in dire financial straits following a massive footfall.
Justifying the increase in the adoption fee, the authority in a note here said that the fee was last hiked in 2012, though the maintenance cost of animals and birds is increasing every year. “Essentially, the fee had to be revised and accordingly the new fee would be applicable from January 1, ZAK member secretary and additional principal chief conservator of forests BP Ravi said.
After a detailed discussion in the board meeting, it was decided to increase the fees. It was also decided in the meeting to spread awareness about conservation among the general public through zoos.
different classes
The species are classified into diamond class, gold class, silver class and bronze class. Adoption is possible for an amount of ₹1,000 to ₹3,00,000 per year.
The diamond class includes elephants, gorillas, lions, tigers, giraffes, orangutans, chimpanzees, Indian rhinoceros, hippopotamus, zebra and African hunting cheetah. In this category, the adoption fee ranges from ₹75,000 to ₹3,00,000 for a period of one year. The highest adoption fee is for Asian and African elephants, apart from gorillas, whose adoption costs ₹3 lakh per year.
The gold category includes Black Leopard, Indian Leopard, Sloth Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, Gaur, Jaguar, Cape Buffalo and their adoption costs ₹50,000 per year. The cost of adoption of Indian fox, golden jackal, Indian gray wolf, striped hyena, dhole, lion-tailed macaque, common langur, Nilgiri langur and Hamadryas baboon in the same class is ₹30,000 per year. Similarly, other animals in the Gold class whose adoption fees range between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000.
In the Silver category, the adoption fee ranges from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 and the animals and birds included under this class include swamp deer, scarlet macaw, slender loris, hog deer, black swan, stork crane , saltwater crocodile, Nile crocodile, panther. cat, great Indian hornbill and others.
Adoption fees range from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 in a bronze class that mostly includes various species of birds, including gray jungle fowl, peacocks, silver partridges, snakes like pythons, ducks, parrots and others. Budgerigar, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Red Avadavat, Finch, White-throated Munia can be adopted for a period of one year for an amount of ₹1,000.
mobile app
ZAK had launched a mobile app post-lockdown last year to tackle the crisis faced by zoos following a steep fall in revenue. It was launched to help interested individuals contribute any amount starting from ₹50 to the zoos of their choice.
ZAK said it would accept any contribution from the public. The mobile app was a step towards making contribution to zoos easier.
Last year
ZAK managed to garner a donation of ₹4.25 crore for all the nine zoos last year. A video featuring actor Darshan Thugudipa received an overwhelming response from fans and others with an appeal to support the zoos in Karnataka badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year and this year too due to the closure of zoos due to the lockdown, the revenue remained nil. All zoos including Mysore Zoo and Bannerghatta Biological Park and smaller zoos at Gadag Belagavi and other places require around ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh per day for their maintenance. The annual maintenance of zoos comes up to Rs 60 crore.
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