Alipore Zoo director transferred amid ‘missing animals’ row

Director of the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, Arun Mukherjee, has been transferred to the high-altitude Darjeeling zoo by the West Bengal forest department.

Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata, established during British rule in India | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: By way of an order issued on 1 August, the West Bengal forest department has transferred the director of the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, Arun Mukherjee, to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Darjeeling.

The order came two weeks after ThePrint reported discrepancies in the Alipore Zoo’s annual inventories, with over 300 animals “missing overnight” from the records.

However, according to the Principal Secretary of the West Bengal forest department, Debal Ray, the decision to transfer Mukherjee had been made before the Alipore Zoo controversy came into light. Along with Mukhopadhyay, 33 other IFoS officers in the state were shuffled around, including the member secretary of the West Bengal Zoo Authority. 

Now, IFoS officer Tripti Sah has been appointed as the new director of Alipore Zoo. She was formerly the additional project director at the Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management (IESWM). 

“The transfer decision is unrelated to the Alipore Zoo case,” said Ray to ThePrint. “It was decided much before the allegations came out about the zoo.”

On 19 July, ThePrint reported on the discrepancies in the 150-year-old Alipore Zoo’s annual inventory over the past 30 years. The records showed a huge miscounting of animals in the zoo, with 5, 10, 15, 20, and even 200-300 animals missing each year as shown in the annual inventories. 

A Kolkata-based NGO, SWAZON, filed a petition in the Kolkata High Court regarding the case, alleging gross negligence on the part of the zoo administration. The petition will be heard on 6 August by the court. 

While the Central Zoo Authority initially said it would seek a report from the Chief Wildlife Warden of West Bengal about the case, it clarified on 23 July that it would constitute its own enquiry committee to probe the matter. The West Bengal Zoo Authority also decided to form a committee to investigate the matter. Both committees are yet to submit their reports. 

“The shuffling of officials is a routine matter, and the Alipore Zoo case is being handled separately by the West Bengal Zoo Authority and Chief Wildlife Warden,” said Ray. “When the reports come out, any and all corrective action shall be taken.”

According to one senior government official that ThePrint spoke to, the IFS officers have yet to take on their new positions. Once the movement order comes, which is likely to happen by the end of the month, they will move to their new roles.

Transfer of officials 

Alipore Zoo director Arun Mukherjee was holding the position on an additional charge, with his primary role being the chief conservator of forests and the conservator of forests (development circle).

While speaking to ThePrint earlier, Mukherjee had said the missing animals in Alipore were a result of a counting error. “It is just a counting error—between our internal numbers and those reported in the CZA’s inventory, there’s been an error and we’re trying to fix it,” he said.

Now, he has been deputed as the director of the high-altitude Darjeeling Zoo, which was shortlisted for a global conservation breeding award in 2024. The current director of PNHZP, Basavaraj Holeyachi, has been appointed as chief conservator of forests (central circle), headquartered in Durgapur. 

ThePrint tried to reach Tripti Sah, the newly appointed director of Alipore Zoo, for comment via mail but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.

According to the order, 34 IFoS officers have been reshuffled to new positions, including the principal chief conservator of forests, the director of Sunderban Biosphere Reserve, and other deputy forest officials (DFOs). 

The principal secretary and other senior officials said that this is just part of a routine shuffling of IFoS officers that happens every few years.

However, apart from Mukherjee and Holeyachi, no other zoo directors have been shuffled this time.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)