A Zoo Story

Thirty-five kilometres from Coimbatore, in the Thoovai-Anaikatty belt, a struggle is on to save the land inhabited by the Irula tribals from falling prey to an ambitious 252-acre private zoo project. Christened the Coimbatore Zoological Park (czp), it is the brainchild of local businessman G. Rangaswamy of Chandra Textiles Ltd. The park has already fenced off Thuvaipathy, a village of 150 adivasi families.

It's been since 1986 that Rangaswamy has had plans for setting up the zoo. But it was only over a decade later that the then dmk government, in its GO 285, dated April 13, 1998, leased 180.78 acres to the czp fixing the lease amount at 600 per cent (including all surcharges) of land value. The czp bargained for the removal of surcharges. In December 2000, the government gave possession of the land to the czp, reducing the lease consideration to 14 per cent of the land value. The zoo project was on stream and the harassment of adivasis now had state sanction.

The zoo project has come in for much criticism from environmentalists. One argument is that India already has 355 zoos which are not well managed. So why another zoo? Points out Iqbal Malik, noted primatologist and former member of the Central Zoo Authority: "After Nandankanan if some industrialists have so much love for animals and money to spare, let them reform existing zoos which are in a terrible state. The zoos we have are more than we need."

Conservationists like Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia, is against the project for another reason: "I have not seen an environment impact assessment (of the czp). Before this is made public, no project of such magnitude can be started. Any court in India will uphold this principle."

Rangaswamy's infamous 'love' for animals is rather well known. At one point, he kept a panther and a leopard on his farm in blatant violation of the Wildlife Act. Leave alone denying this, his secretary Latha—who played a key role in helping czp acquire adivasi-owned lands—adds admiringly: "He even used to have a python. He used to be a big hunter." Finally, forest officials took the animals away. It was at this point that the idea of setting up a zoo came to him.

He had by then befriended Sally Walker, an American citizen whose association with India began with the Mysore Zoo in the mid-1970s. Backed by Rangaswamy, Walker even moved to Coimbatore and set up the Zoo Outreach Organisation (zoo), housed close to the Chandra Textiles office. Both the czp and the zoo share the same office-bearers. Walker, known for her critique of the idea of keeping wild animals in captivity, is a name to reckon with in zoo circles and has even been a member of the Central Zoo Authority of India.

But when will the zoo take shape? czp officials say it could take 10 years. Says Walker, who markets the czp as an extension of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: "The initial plan is to have a microcosm in 25 acres by 2003." According to an April 1994 newsletter of the czp, $3,59,150 had been sought as aid through Rotary International for "purchase of equipment for the zoo hospital and interpretation centre". All that the czp can boast of now is a 15-acre nursery. Incidentally, Walker has not visited the zoo site in the first five years.

fian, a Heidelberg-based human rights organisation which has advisory status with the UN, has decried the project which seeks to make space for animals but not for people. John Coe, the zoo's US-based consultant-architect, had even suggested "landscape immersion exhibits" which could make room for the Irulas in the zooscape". This idea was dropped because in the Indian context it would create problems," says Walker.

Efforts to pressurise the Irulas to give up their land, though, had been going on for years. In 1988-89, the village administrative officer (vao) refused to issue B-memo receipts to the adivasis, who were advised to give up or sell their land. Even adivasis who enjoyed "assigned, conditional patta land" were forced to sell it to the czp. Even by Rangaswamy's admission, 17.71 acres of assigned conditional patta lands had been alienated from the Irulas.

Says Bheeman, the village chief: "At one point, Thoovai residents were told that a poultry farm was on the cards. Later, a brick kiln was to come up, we learnt rather late in the day that actually a zoo was what they had in mind. In 1991, they started pressurising us for our land through the vao and other government officials."

According to the tribals, various methods were employed to acquire land. Force, threats, arrack. "Sometimes, we were simply cheated with little or no money for our thumb impressions," says Kuppan, a tribal. According to C.R Bijoy, the Coimbatore-based national council member of the Peoples' Union of Civil Liberties, this happens because the adivasis do not have a sense of private property. "They treat their land as an inalienable resource. Even when they have supposedly 'sold' the land for some amount, they think they have a right to claim it later." Besides the land registered as theirs, the Irulas have also been using the hill-slopes for decades to graze their cattle. Now, this too is part of the zoo.

"Only when the czp authorities began fencing the zoo site did we realise that they had got possession of our land. Till then we were not even aware of the GO," said Kottaiyan, who along with 15 others, was jailed on June 12 for damaging the czp fence. They have been released on conditional bail but have to travel 20 km and sign at the Thudiyalur police station every day. They have been charged with rioting with deadly weapons (ipc sections 147, 148), mischief-causing damage (427) and threat to cause death or grievous hurt (506/2).

However, there is one natural deterrent for the zoo—the fact that it falls in the migratory path of elephants. From dusk to dawn elephants explore this belt for food and water. The adivasis might have undone sections of the fencing, but the damage done by the elephants to the czp fence is considerably more, and continues. "They can put us in jail, not the elephants," says a tribal.

Boddhan, an adivasi leader and once an owner of land in the czp area, who has now moved to Vachapathy in Kerala 12 km away, says that the Irulas of Thoovai must continue the fight and use the fenced-off land. He partly blames the lack of organisational skills among the adivasis of Tamil Nadu. "The coming up of the zoo indicates a failure of the adivasi movement here." He, however, says that the Irulas must not give up. "Sugarcane is stuck in the elephant's mouth. How does one get it out? You put some ants in the elephant's ears and trunk."