Kolkata: Zoo authorities at Alipore Zoological Gardens stepped up on monitoring the colony of resident fruit bats, Indian flying foxes, amid heightened public attention following the recent Nipah scare.
Visitors were seen gathering near the eastern flank of the zoo on Wednesday to watch and record hundreds of bats hanging from a large banyan tree. "We are aware of the Nipah alert in the city and how the virus was transmitted from the bats," said Padmabati and Rupram Patel, tourists from Chhattisgarh, as they filmed the colony on their phones.
Zoo director Tripti Sah said the trees that host the bats are largely non-fruit-bearing and stressed that the zoo would act on any advisory if it is being sent by the govt. "If there is any advisory issued from the govt regarding Nipah, the zoo will follow the same with immediate effect," she said.
Sah said the zoo already put biosecurity measures in place to prevent the spread of infections. The measures, initiated in Dec, are scheduled to continue through Jan and may be extended if required. The protocol includes disinfection through antiviral spraying, enclosure sanitation, staff safety procedures, waste management, public-area precautions and routine monitoring.
A zoo official overseeing the biosecurity drive said hypochlorite and other chemical agents are being sprayed twice daily, along pathways and around animal enclosures where crowds are the highest. Staff working in close proximity to animals are using protective gloves and masks, and footbaths have been placed at enclosure entry points.
Some workers and shopkeepers said the Nipah discussion became a daily topic because of the visible droppings beneath the trees. "There are droppings on the ground all the time, but I know that the virus can be transmitted only by consuming bat-contaminated fruits," said Girija Prasad, a contractual zoo staffer who runs a snacks and stationery shop.
Zoologist Shilanjan Bhattacharya of West Bengal State University cautioned against panic and misinformation. He said the risk is associated with contamination of food items such as fresh date sap and ripe fruits that bats may lick, bite or urinate on.