Post audit, zoo to fell five weak trees, prune a few
Times of India | 12 January 2024
Kolkata: Alipore zoo authorities have decided to cut down at least five trees and prune several others following a health audit of all the trees inside the zoo to avoid an incident like Wednesday’s when a branch of a dead tree fell on a visitor, severely injuring him.
On Wednesday, 27-year-old Moidul Islam Molla, a resident of Rabindra Nagar, was having lunch with his family near the zoo restaurant when a huge branch of a dead Putranjiva Roxburghii tree fell on his head. Molla suffered extradural haemorrhage and a skull fracture and had to undergo a neuro-surgery procedure. Doctors said he is still under observation.
“What happened on Wednesday was extremely unfortunate. But we are taking adequate steps to ensure such instances don’t happen again. We conducted a health audit of all trees to identify those which need immediate attention. Around 5 of them are in a precarious state and need to be cut down from the base and there are others that can be revived with intensive intervention and immediate pruning and trimming,” said Subhankar Sengupta, the zoo director.
He said once a survey of the entire zoo premises is complete by the weekend, they will begin the pruning and cutting.
“We have already pruned a few trees but once the entire health audit is over, we will undertake an extensive pruning and trimming drive. As of now, the area around the precarious trees have been cordoned off to avert accidents,” said another zoo official.
Officials said the zoo has around 2,500 big and small trees of 107 varieties. While many saplings have also been planted recently, there are many that are standing tall since the zoo’s inception in the late 19th century and account for the 38% green zone. Sources said the branch of the tree that fell on Wednesday was relocated to the zoo around six years ago in a full-grown state.
From 9 am on Thursday, the authorities, along with forest department officials, made a round of the entire zoo premises identifying weak trees and branches and began marking them with red cross.
“While we have to cut down a few trees, we will try to revive most of them as the trees are home to many birds and bats. We cannot disturb the ecological balance by indiscriminately pruning and cutting down trees. We will have to maintain a balance so that the trees, animals, birds as well as visitors are all safe,” said the director.