By IANS,
Bhopal : A Madhya Pradesh zoo has urged President Pratibha Patil to sponsor an elephant under the ‘Prani Punyodaya’ (adopt an animal) scheme so that the animal is fed properly.
The management of Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya (zoo) in Indore, 200 km from here, in a letter to Patil last week said the two captive elephants in the zoo need a hefty daily diet – 500 kg grass, one-quintal sugarcane, 5 kg chapattis and heavy doses of jaggery twice a week – costing over Rs.30,000 a month. And the cash strapped Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) can not afford it.
“As such, it would be kind of you (Patil) to adopt atleast one of the two elephants with the zoo,” the letter said.
“Since the IMC can ill afford to bear such a huge expense, we have urged the president to adopt at least one elephant, although we’re hoping that she may offer to adopt both,” said Anil Bindal, Mayor-in-Council (MIC) member incharge of IMC’s Law and General Administration, the department that takes care of the zoo.
He said several representatives are already bearing the expenses of zoo inmates. These include Indore Mayor Uma Shashi Sharma who adopted a deer contributing Rs.3,420 a month.
As many as 17 individuals and organisations have so far adopted other creatures including peacocks, tigers, and bears since the animal adoption scheme was unveiled.