Assam State Zoo staff get 500 masks to fight against COVID-19

GUWAHATI: Doctors, officials and employees at Assam State Zoo-Cum-Botanical Garden on Friday received a boost in their fight against COVID-19 with Aaranyak, an NGO joined hands with Assam State Legal Services Authority (ASLSA) to provide 500 cotton homemade masks for use.

In a brief ceremony that took place on Friday morning at Assam State Zoo, Executive Chairman of ASLSA Justice N. Kotiswar Singh of Gauhati High Court graced the occasion using video call. During the function Nayan Sankar Barua, Member Secretary of ASLSA and Mitali Thakuria, District & Session Judge of Kamrup and Dr. Bibhab Talukdar, CEO of Aaranyak handed over the masks to Tejas Mariswamy, Divisional Forest Officer and Dr. Sankar Sarma, Forest Veterinary Officer posted in Assam State Zoo.

The event was also attended by Additional District Judge Millikan Dutta, Deputy Secretary of ASLSA Tripti Arie and under Secretary Ayushree Shravan, Manas Bhattacharjya, Manager of Legal & Advocacy Division of Aaranyak and Jayanta Pathak, Manager, Environmental Education and Capacity Building Division of Aaranyak. The ASLSA officials wanted to know the kind of legal challenges that Zoo officials or wildlife officials faces while exercising their duties.

Bibhab Talukdar said as the coronavirus lockdown continues across the country, various zoos are implementing different methods in order to keep the animals safe. "We are just trying to help the Assam State Zoo in their endeavour," Talukdar said.

After the recent the report of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for the coronavirus suspected to have been infected by an asymptomatic zoo keeper, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has issued advisory to all zoos in the country. According to the advisory, the animals should be under watch round the clock and the staff and employees should be screened for COVID-19.

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